Metaphors and Linguistic Pictures Used in the Football Language

„No fox in a box.“ Metaphors and linguistic pictures used in the football language.

Angelina Niederpruem

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for Master of Arts in Journalism & Media Communications (QQI)

Faculty of Journalism & Media Communications

Griffith College Dublin

August 2018

I hereby certify that this material, which I now submit for assessment on the programme of study leading to the award of the MA Journalism & Media Communications, is my own; based on my personal study and/or research, and that I have acknowledged all material and sources used in its preparation. I also certify that I have not copied in part or whole or otherwise plagiarised the work of anyone else, including other students.

Signed: ______

Dated: 2nd of August 2018

Abstract

The metaphor and other linguistic images are a mental tool for dealing with abstract contexts. So they focus on an aspect of the context and appeal to the imagination of a recipient. To investigate this relationship is the aim of this work. A quantitative analysis is used to analyse football coverage in relation to the use of linguistic images in the nations Germany and England. The investigation period extends over the ten qualifying matches of both teams from September 2006 to October 2017. As a subject of investigation I was the follow-up reports in the online newspapers of Sueddeutsche, Bild newspaper (both German newspapers) and The Sun and The Telegraph (both English daily newspapers) to disposal. The following research questions could be answered during the investigation:

1.) How often are linguistic images used in the language of football and there is a difference between English and German coverage? 2.) Do we (fans and sports journalists) still need linguistic images while we are reporting for football? 3.) Is the use in the football language also creative? 4.) Are there differences between national Broadsheet and Newspaper reports?

Supported by further questions regarding the use of linguistic images in sports reporting, the results should give an insight into the use of the terminology of sport, linguistics and everyday language. The result of this work suggests that the use of linguistic means is practiced beyond national boundaries, that many metaphors and recipients are no longer apparent, as their area of origin has already mingled with our everyday language. It will come as a surprise that the unconventional metaphors (also called creative) do not play such a big role.

Table of Contents

Abstract ...... 3 Illustrations ...... 7 List of Appreviations ...... 7 Acknowledgements ...... 8 1. Introduction ...... 9 2. Literature Review ...... 12 3. Linguistic pictures ...... 15 3.1 Metaphors after Lakoff and Johnson ...... 16 3.1.1 The essence of metaphors ...... 18 3.1.2 Types of metaphors ...... 19 3.1.3 Recognising and understanding of metaphors...... 21 3.1.4 Metaphors and Frames ...... 22 3.2 News-Framing ...... 23 3.3 Comparisons after Ortony ...... 25 3.3.1 Comparisons and Similes (Ortony) ...... 26 3.3.2 Types of comparisons (Ortony) ...... 26 3.3.3 What is the difference between Similes and metaphors? ...... 27 3.4 Hyperbole and Litotes ...... 27 3.4.1 The essence of hyperbole ...... 27 3.4.2 Types of hyperbole and litotes ...... 27 4. Mass media and mass communication ...... 28 5. Football coverage ...... 29 5.1 Football coverage ...... 30 5.2 Technical terminology ...... 31 5.3 Categories of the sport language ...... 33 5.3.1 Terminology ...... 33 5.3.2 Jargon ...... 34 5.3.3 Report language ...... 34 6. Media types of sports coverage ...... 35 6.1 Print media ...... 35 6.2 Television ...... 36 6.3 Radio ...... 36 6.4 Internet ...... 37

6.5 Text types...... 37 7. Linguistic features in football coverage ...... 39 8. Empirical investigation ...... 41 8.1 Aim of the investigation ...... 41 8.2 Text corpus and study period...... 42 8.3 Methodology ...... 45 9. Examination results ...... 48 9.1 Sueddeutsche Newspaper ...... 48 9.2 Bild Newspaper ...... 53 9.3 The Telegraph ...... 57 9.4 The Sun ...... 61 9.5 Comparison: Sueddeutsche Newspaper and Bild Newspaper ...... 65 9.6 Comparison: The Telegraph and The Sun ...... 66 9.7 Comparison: England Vs. Germany ...... 67 9.8 Creative use of linguistic images ...... 69 10. Conclusion and Outlook ...... 72 Bibliography...... 74 Appendices ...... 82 Appendix I: Linguistic Pictures Sueddeutsche.de ...... 82 Appendix II: Linguistic Pictures Bild.de ...... 98 Appendix III: Linguistic Pictures The Telegraph ...... 105 Appendix IV: Linguistic Pictures The Sun ...... 122 Appendix 1: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Norway – Germany ...... 131 Appendix 2: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Germany – Czech Republic ...... 132 Appendix 3: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Germany – Northern Ireland ...... 134 Appendix 4: Article Sueddeutsche.de: San Marino - Germany ...... 135 Appendix 5: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Azerbaijan - Germany ...... 137 Appendix 6: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Germany – San Marino ...... 138 Appendix 7: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Czech Republic - Germany...... 140 Appendix 8: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Germany - Norway ...... 142 Appendix 9: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Northern Ireland - Germany ...... 143 Appendix 10: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Germany - Azerbaijan ...... 145 Appendix 11: Article Bild.de: Norway – Germany ...... 146 Appendix 12: Article Bild.de: Germany – Czech Republic ...... 147 Appendix 13: Article Bild.de: Germany – Northern Ireland ...... 148

Appendix 14: Article Bild.de: San Marino - Germany ...... 149 Appendix 15: Article Bild.de: Azerbaijan – Germany ...... 150 Appendix 16: Article Bild.de: Germany – San Marino ...... 152 Appendix 17: Article Bild.de: Czech Republic – Germany ...... 153 Appendix 18: Article Bild.de: Germany – Norway ...... 154 Appendix 19: Article Bild.de: Northern Ireland – Germany ...... 155 Appendix 20: Article Bild.de: Germany – Azerbaijan ...... 156 Appendix 21: Article Telegraph.co.uk: Slovakia – England ...... 157 Appendix 22: Article Telegraph.co.uk: England – Malta ...... 159 Appendix 23: Article Telegraph.co.uk: Slovenia – England ...... 161 Appendix 24: Article Telegraph.co.uk: England – Scotland ...... 164 Appendix 25: Article Telegraph.co.uk: England – Lithuania ...... 166 Appendix 26: Article Telegraph.co.uk: Scotland – England ...... 168 Appendix 27: Article Telegraph.co.uk: Malta – England ...... 170 Appendix 28: Article Telegraph.co.uk: England - Slovakia ...... 172 Appendix 29: Article Telegraph.co.uk: England – Slovenia ...... 174 Appendix 30: Article Telegraph.co.uk: Lithuania – England ...... 176 Appendix 31: Article thesun.co.uk: Slovakia – England ...... 178 Appendix 32: Article thesun.co.uk: England – Malta ...... 179 Appendix 33: Article thesun.co.uk: Slovenia – England ...... 181 Appendix 34: Article thesun.co.uk: England – Scotland ...... 182 Appendix 35: Article thesun.co.uk: England – Lithuania ...... 183 Appendix 36: Article thesun.co.uk: Scotland – England ...... 184 Appendix 37: Article thesun.co.uk: Malta – England ...... 186 Appendix 38: Article thesun.co.uk: England – Slovakia ...... 186 Appendix 39: Article thesun.co.uk: England – Slovenia ...... 189 Appendix 40: Article thesun.co.uk: Lithuania - England ...... 190

Illustrations

Figure 1: Conventionalized & unconventional metaphors ...... 20 Figure 2: English Newspapers - Key Data ...... 44 Figure 3: German Newspapers - Key Data ...... 45 Figure 4: Results Amount Linguistic Pictures - Sueddeutsche.de ...... 48 Figure 5: Comparison Word Amount vs. Metaphors Sueddeutsche.de ...... 50 Figure 6: Comparison Word Amount vs. Linguistic Pictures Sueddeutsche.de ...... 50 Figure 7: Linguistic Pictures Headline Sueddeutsche.de ...... 51 Figure 8: Linguistic Pictures Subhead Sueddeutsche.de ...... 52 Figure 9: Result Amount Linguistic Pictures - Bild.de ...... 53 Figure 10: Comparison Metaphors Vs Words - Bild.de ...... 54 Figure 11: Linguistic Pictures Headlines Bild.de ...... 55 Figure 12: Linguistic Pictures Subhead - Bild.de...... 56 Figure 13: Results Amount Linguistic Pictures - Telegraph.co.uk ...... 57 Figure 14: Comparison Metaphors Vs. Words - Telegraph.co.uk ...... 58 Figure 15: Linguistic Pictures Headline - Telegraph.co.uk ...... 59 Figure 16: Linguistic Pictures Subhead - Telegraph.co.uk ...... 60 Figure 17: Result Amount Linguistic Pictures - Thesun.co.uk ...... 61 Figure 18: Comparison Linguistic Pictures Vs. Words - Thesun.co.uk ...... 62 Figure 19: Linguistic Pictures Headline - TheSun.co.uk ...... 63 Figure 20: Linguistic Pictures Subhead - TheSun.co.uk ...... 64 Figure 21: Comparison Sueddeutsche Vs. Bild...... 65 Figure 22: Comparison The Sun Vs. The Telegraph ...... 66 Figure 23: England Vs. Germany Word Amount ...... 67 Figure 24: England Vs. Germany Linguistic Pictures ...... 68 Figure 25: England Vs. Germany Average Percentage ...... 68 Figure 26: Creative distribution Linguistic Images ...... 69

List of Appreviations DFB Deutscher Fuβball Bund FIFA Fédération Internationale de Football Association FA Football Association WM World Cup EM Europameisterschaft (Translation: European Championship) Euros European Championship e.g. (lat. exempli gracia =) for example i.e. (id est =) that is

Acknowledgements

I would first like to thank my supervisor Dr Robbie Smyth. He always had an open door and an open ear as soon as I had questions or comments about my work. He also understood when life came, with its minor problems, between the Master thesis. He allowed me to write and implement my work with my own idea, but also he sends me in the right direction when it was needed. I was not only able to benefit from him as a supervisor, but also as a lecturer during my studies. Thank you!

I would also like to acknowledge Dr Conor Kostick as the second reader of this thesis, and I am gratefully indebted for his very valuable comments on this thesis.

And finally I would like to thank my parents and my big sister. Without their encouragement I would not have written this work, especially not here in Dublin. As a foreign student I had the privilege to have with my sister a small part of the family with me and I am grateful for any open, honest and motivational conversation at dinner. High five for the word creation and its meaning: RoomSis! Thank you.

Author

Angelina Niederpruem

1. Introduction

Football has a long tradition in Germany as well as in England. No sport has such a high popularity and media presence as this team sport. Without a doubt, football is the most massively exciting team game worldwide. It is therefore rightfully called "king football" and characterised the importance of football in Germany for decades.

The birth of the sport took place in China over 4000 years ago. The game, then known as Ts'uh Küh, was one of many predecessors of today's most popular team sport. Back then, a leather ball was filled with feathers and hair, which then had to be carried with some technical skill into a hole (Hoffmeister 2004, p.2).

Such sports were also popular in Mexico and Greece, and the sport became another precursor of modern football in Japan and Italy (2004. p. 3-5).

In the 19th century, it was observed that popular football in England was a very crude and violent affair. It served as a demonstration of courage and masculinity. So it came as no surprise that public schools across the country recognised the educational value of this team sport and made targeted use of it. The games should educate students to courage, selflessness, teamwork and toughness. A written set of rules was first published in 1846 under the title The Law of Football as Played in Rugby School (2004. p. 8).

The October 26th 1863 is considered today as the beginning of modern football. Former elite students founded the Football Association (FA) at a London inn. It was back then the first national football association. The FA adopted in December of the same year a set of rules that included the rules and regulations of playing football (2004. p. 9).

Dr Konrad Koch is considered in Germany as a pioneer of football. He played football with his students at Martino Katharineum High School 1874. In search of a sport that could also be carried out in winter, Koch came across the football game. August Hermann, a gym teacher at the same high school as Koch, supported the idea of Koch and got a real football from England.

Koch created the first football rules in 1875 to avoid a wild fight. At the same time, he founded the first German student football club. It was not until twenty years after its introduction at the school that a football club for adults was founded in Braunschweig in 1895 (2004. p. 14-17).

However, one thing is certain: in its various forms, rules and varieties, football has developed worldwide in the last thousand years. Today, however, England is considered the motherland of the modern game worldwide (FIFA, 2018).

With the introduction of the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, the sport brought many memorable sporting moments to fans around the world. Since then, the best teams from around the world come together every four years to measure each other in a tournament. Uruguay was voted to be the first host of the tournament by the FIFA Congress in 1929. At the first World Cup, teams from three different continents came together and the hosts won the final 4-2 against Argentina (FIFA, 2018).

Football in general and the tournaments of the World and European Championships quickly developed into events of great social interest. The immense importance of sports events also attracts a great placement with the media: from live broadcasts and summaries of football matches on television and radio to reports/articles in daily newspapers and magazines to the Internet in all its different forms of presentation: football does not stop at any medium.

For an optimal understanding of the sport and with everything that goes with it, football developed its own linguistic features. These peculiarities provide the recipients with a recognition value which sometimes differs less from the general language. Since the football language has different syntactic and lexical peculiarities, I put my focus in this work on the lexical point of view, especially on the linguistic images within the online reporting.

With the topic I have chosen, I would like to analyse the relationship between reporting in football and the use of linguistic images. Is there a correlation in the frequency of linguistic forms and the use? Is it possible to find differences between English and German coverage? I would like to answer these and other questions within a content analysis.

I have chosen the sport of football because it occupies a high profile in the population and thus also in the coverage in both Germany and England. The media presence of football and especially of the World Cup is very high in the print sector, as well as in other media platforms. Furthermore, the aspect that football has developed its own stylistic and linguistic forms for optimal communication is relevant for my investigation.

The qualifying matches for the 2018 World Cup in Russia were chosen as the investigation period, as the event is current and therefore no comparable work is available. Furthermore, a diachronic level of language development can be evaluated, as the major implementation of the sport in reporting makes the last few years and their reports accessible.

The main objective is to investigate the coverage of the games of the German and English national teams during the qualifying games for the World Cup in Russia 2018. As a subject of investigation, I chose the linguistic forms of metaphors, similes, hyperbole and litotes. I also chose four newspapers, two German (Bild and Sueddeutsche Zeitung) and two English (The Telegraph and The Sun) newspapers. So it is possible for me to examine not only national but also international and linguistic differentiation. One of the main focuses will be on the frequency, creativity and differences between tabloid and broadsheet articles.

Since each selected medium presents different articles in the form of a preliminary report, game report, background features and follow-up reports, and these would go beyond the scope of my work at the beginning, I finally decided on a follow-up report on the online services of the newspaper. The time distance after a game and the publication of the report was crucial for me to choose this form of sports coverage for my investigation. I hope for that, a more considered reporting style with a greater linking of linguistic images within the reports are given.

Below, I have formulated my research questions: 1.) How often are linguistic images used in the language of football and is there a difference between English and German coverage? 2.) Do we (Fans and sports journalists) still need linguistic images while we are reporting for football? 3.) How has the football language changed in recent years? 4.) Is the use of the football language also creative?

However, to begin the actual empirical investigation of my research work, it is important and relevant to do the academic part that is indispensable for understanding in the following chapters. For this, I use the metaphors theory after Lakoff and Johnson (1980/2008), as well as the work of the Similes after Andrew Ortony (1979) to help. In the respective subchapters of the lexical forms, I enter into the recognition and understanding of these and will at the same time describe the functions and achievements of the linguistic pictures.

After explaining the linguistic pictures in the following chapter, it is important to place the football language in the general context of the language. In addition, the various media are discussed individually to make it clear that football coverage is used cross- media and why the online services of daily newspapers are becoming increasingly important in the context of actuality.

The main part of this thesis is devoted to the empirical investigation and evaluation of the articles publicised in the above-mentioned newspapers with regard to the national teams Germany and England within the qualification games of the World Cup 2018. Here, each individual article with regard to metaphors, similes, hyperbolas, litotes, headlines and subheads are evaluated and stored within a data collection. These data collections allow me in the end to compare the data obtained from quantitative distribution, creativity, distinctions and similarities. So I am able to see if there are differences or commonalities within national newspapers and broadsheet and within international reporting.

Finally, a conclusion is drawn on the use of linguistic images within the football coverage in online articles and an outlook is given on possible subsequent investigations.1

2. Literature Review

Here is a brief overview of the literature which is shown and used more explicitly in the following chapters:

After a first research and the first deepening into the topic, I first came across Hermann Bausinger and his work in Wolfgang Brandt's "Sprache des Sports"2. In the first paragraph of his paper "Dreiteilung der Sportsprache"3, Bausinger insists that most scientific studies primarily understand the specialist vocabulary in the narrower sense as the rule language. (Bausinger, 1988. p. 77) And just this rule language represents the core of the sports language. The necessary terminological basic rules are being found again in the sport language. The predominant trend in sports language research is thus the one, in which the elements of the sports language are divided into three categories. The first aspect of this tripartite division is the rule or terminology language, the second part is mostly called sport or technical jargon, and thirdly, researchers distinguish sports coverage from the media. I use Bausinger's

1 Below, the quotes from the German language are translated within a footnote in their own words. 2 Translation: Language of the sport 3 Translation: Tripartite division of the sports language

view in the chapters of my work to classify the sports language into the general language.

Since not only the sports language, but above all the football language will occupy a substantial part of my dissertation, I concentrated on the definition of the football language. Here I first found Armin Burkhardt and his work "Wörterbuch der Fußballsprache"4. In this work, German football is considered from a linguistic perspective. Burkhardt presents the characteristics of today's language of football after a description of the historical development of football language. The author explains the three semantic principles of today's football language: metonymy, metaphors, and 'simplifying abstraction' (Burkhardt, 2006. p.60-69). In addition, it is about the language of football coverage and the 'positional language' of football, which serves to identify the player positions in the course of the game. The work ends with some didactic considerations on the sport language. It is a contribution from a volume to the SinoGerman conference at the German College of Tongji University in Shanghai, which also dealt with the subject of 'jargon'. According to Burkhardt, the “Sprache des Fußballs nicht nur aus der Fußballfachsprache [...] und dem Fußballjargon wie er auf den Sportplätzen zu Hause ist, sondern vor allem aus der Sprache der Fußballberichterstattung und [...] der Sprache der Fans.”5 consists (2006. p. 10). The mentioned categories are considered separately in the further course of the section, whereby it is important to note that the division into stages is a construction and in reality the transitions are fluent and the assignments are difficult. It must therefore be taken into account when reading, that a real delimitation in practice is not possible and probably not at all desirable.

Not only the sports language and the football language in the specific are analysed and defined, but also the phenomena metaphors and similes. For the metaphors I have dealt with the work of George Lakoff and Mark Johnson (1980/2008) so far. In their book "Metaphors we live by", Lakoff and Johnson illustrate in an impressive way their theory that the entire human conceptual system and therefore our thinking and acting are structured by metaphors. In which they argue that metaphors not only are merely an accessory in our everyday language, but that we constantly use them in order to be able to communicate verbally and therefore to live practically permanently with them. (Lakoff/Johnson, 1980. p. 11) In my opinion, this is particularly noticeable by the nature of the scientifically considered metaphor. But also the concept

4 Translation: Dictionary of the football language 5 Translation: language of football is not just about the football [...] language and the football jargon that is at home on the sports fields, but above all about the language of football coverage and the [...] language of the fans."

orientation metaphor, I feel as impressive, since it is comprehensible despite its complexity. That means, it is not difficult to imagine that humanity is guided by concepts. Thus, for me, this metaphors concept is quite interesting and worth reading. Based on this knowledge, the authors come to the conclusion that our entire system of concepts is shaped by metaphors. Thus, they illustrate that the human mind-set, and consequently our actions, are based on a metaphorical order.

In my work, the kinds of comparisons made by Ortony (1979) are taken over to make it possible to subdivide comparisons into actual comparisons and similes in terms of their literal meaning. As a basis, he uses the statements of Amos Tversky, who already made a distinction in "similes" and "similarity statements" (Ortony, 1979. p. 161-164), and extends them. The actual comparisons are referred to by Ortony as literal comparisons. He defines it as follows: “[I]f two things share some characteristics that are important to both, then those things will be perceived as literally similar.” (p.164) In this case, therefore, there is only a mere determination of similarity between two things having the same characteristics. The statement is literally true and thus does not evoke any imagination. For this reason, the comparisons in the narrower sense can’t be counted among the linguistic images and are accordingly not the subject of my empirical investigation. The similes, on the other hand, evoke an imagination, so they are very closely linked to the metaphors. Ortony states that the only difference between the similes and the metaphor is the presence of the linguistic comparison signal to similes. (p: 40) Ortony also describes them as non-literal comparisons, as they express a similarity between two things in terms of one or more features salient to only one of them (see Ortony 1979, 164). Starting from Lakoff / Johnson, the cognitive metaphor theory could be extended to a cognitive theory of linguistic images by adding Ortony's explanations.

The collection book "Die Rezeption des Sports in den Medien”6 by Holger Schramm (2008) has set itself the goal of systematically questioning the experience of sports in the media. The main focus is on the question of why so many people turn to media sports at all and what effects the confrontation with media sports has. The work provides the necessary background knowledge for the analysis and reflection of the “flagship” media sports events, which is interesting for my topic and the development of the Football World Cup 2018. In the chapter from Wiebke Lossen "Sport als Berichterstattung in den Medien"7 it is all about the media history within sports history. That is how sport accompanies us as a media evolution. For example, in the press on

6 Translation: The reception of sport in the media 7 Translation: Sport as media coverage

May 23rd 1886 the sports section celebrates its birthday in the German daily newspapers. (Loosen, 2008. p. 16) In addition, Ms. Loosen discusses the fixed chronological sequences and calendar regularities of sporting events. In these events, sport is the subject of the report and is become an ongoing topic, as well as continuous discussion and the context (2008. p. 10).

Marcus Boelz (2017) describes in his book "Sportjournalismus und seine ethischen Normen”8, the competitive situation around the exclusive stories in the sports media. Here and now limits are exceeded, as the statements of numerous athletes, trainers and the findings of scientific studies on the issue clearly show. The path between a still morally justifiable personalization and a more revealing journalism, which brings to the public even the smallest private details of the players of the sport, is getting narrower in view of the media competition and the editorial areas that need to be filled with content. All the more urgent is the call for a sports media ethic, which, flanked by scientific support and useful to journalistic practice, could represent a guideline for ethical questions in sports reporting accepted by all parties. According to Boelz, a press code provides journalists with an orientation as to which standards they have to comply with. There are also 'rules' for sports journalism, which are laid down in the guidelines for sports journalists. By adhering to these guidelines, of course, sports journalistic quality is not necessarily created. However, ethical foundations are recorded. In addition, Boelz discusses the economic benefits of sport and what role sports reporting plays in this. This topic and the description of Boelz should be used in my dissertation. Ethical principles, as well as the usefulness and role of reporting, are going to be defined and explained in the theoretical chapters of my work.

3. Linguistic pictures

Linguistic pictures are a system of language that uses words and sentences in a particular way to create a special effect on the recipient. The term stylistic means is defined in the German dictionary Duden as "means of expression characterising a style". It is mainly used in music, art and in the linguistics. Stylistic means or linguistic means are thereby the expression of a text and thus also an object of research of the style.

8 Translation: Sports Journalism and its ethical norms

Linguistic means activate an imagination (Kohl, 2007, p. 11). In the production and processing of pictorial language, visual thinking is required (2007, p. 13). The linguistic means can be subdivided in linguistics into rhetorical means (tropes and figures) and lyric means (rhyme scheme, metric, rhythm through syllables and separations).

Besides, the linguistic means become associated with the four categories

• Add, • oppression, • Substitution and • permutation.

The focus of the stylistic devices used in the written language is on the design of the language rather than its intent.

The pictorial comparison and the metaphor used in this work apply within the linguistic means to the linguistic images. They make a text vivid, the perception of the recipient is directed in a certain direction and the deeper meaning of a text becomes clear only through the nature of the "translation". In an artistic way, the recipient is not informed directly about the content, but only indirectly.

The linguistic means hyperbole and litotes also used in this work belong to the category of over- and understatement. Here, the hyperbole increases the expression by exaggeration. The emphasis on the matter has an effect on the recipient. The litotes, on the other hand, emphasise an expression by understatement or by affirming it by double negation. This weakening of the utterance obscures or whitewashes the content of the statement.

3.1 Metaphors after Lakoff and Johnson

“Our conceptual system thus plays a central role in defining our everyday realities.” (Lakoff/Johnson 2008. p. 124)

Lakoff and Johnson state in their work that assuming that one's own conceptual system is metaphorical, and then the way humans think, what we experience and what we do is metaphorical. However, the authors also assume that humans are unaware of this conceptual system and this suggests that thinking, recognising and acting in metaphors happens in the subconscious (2008. p. 124).

„Die Vielfalt der Metapherntheorie gründet darin, dass Metapher ein Phänomen ist, das sich zwischen Kognition und artikulierter Sprache bewegt und kontinuierlich Denken in Sprache, Sprache in Denken umsetzt.“9 (Kohl, 2007. p. 22)

According to Lakoff and Johnson, language and thus communication is based on the same system as used in action and thinking. The two authors found a way to see in detail what the metaphors are exactly: structures, how we perceive something, how we think, and how we act on it (Lakoff/Johnson, 2008. p. 124).

Our conventional views require a metaphor that we are hardly aware of. In the given example of reasoning, therefore, the metaphor is not only contained in the words we use but also in the general concept of reasoning.

The language of metaphors is therefore not poetic, imaginative or rhetorical; as in the example of the argument, it is usually not to be understood literally (2008. p.125). “If you say "The odds are against us" or "We'll have taken our chances," you would not be viewed as speaking metaphorically but as using the normal everyday language appropriate to the situation. Nevertheless, your way of talking about, conceiving, and even experiencing your situation would be metaphorically structured.” (2008. p. 128)

Outside of our conceptual system the concept are the metaphors that are resourceful and creative. These metaphors give us a new understanding of our experience. These metaphors can give our everyday life, the past and what we believe and know new meanings.

„We would like to suggest that new metaphors make sense of our experience in the same way conventional metaphors do: They provide coherent structure, highlighting some things and hiding others.” (2008. p. 128)

If the metaphor can attain the status of a truth, the metaphor can have a feedback effect and steer our future actions in accordance with the metaphors (2008. p. 130).

9 Translation: "The diversity of the theory of metaphors is based on the fact that metaphor is a phenomenon that moves between cognition and articulated language and continuously implements: thinking into language; language into thinking."

“Metaphors can thus be appropriate because they sanction actions, justify inferences, and help us set goals.” (2008. p. 130). Lakoff and Johnson further indicate in their work that understanding and acting with metaphors can also be understood differently in different cultures. Depending on how the understanding in the language of metaphors in the countries is adapted understood and recognised (2008. p. 130). Because a person's view of the content of a metaphor is different from another, metaphors can be understood differently and have a different meaning.

„Hence, the same metaphor that gives new meaning to our experience will not give new meaning to his.” (2008. p. 130). It can be assumed that words alone do not change the relativity. But changes in our conceptual system change what is real for us and how we perceive the world and act on those perceptions.

The idea that metaphor is only a question of language and can only describe reality at best is the view that the real is completely outside and independent of how people conceptualize the world (2008. p. 132).

3.1.1 The essence of metaphors

Metaphors are omnipresent and therefore regarded as part of our everyday language. They are not only to be found in drama texts and poems (1980. p. 11).

Lakoff and Johnson focus on the levels of cognitive processes, language serves only as a means to make these processes understandable. Because our thinking and acting are metaphorical, so is the language and communication.

„The essence of metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another.“ (2008. p. 125). Here Lakoff and Johnson describe a situation of argumentation as “Argument is war”. By arguing, we directly associate a fight/war with the other party. And we emphasise this view of the struggle of two parties within an argument with the help of metaphors in the use of language (2008. p. 125). Lakoff and Johnson give the following examples of underlining in the language:

 „You disagree? Okay, shoot!“  “He shot down all of my arguments.”

 “His criticisms were right on target.” (2008. p. 124)

Especially for social realities, metaphors can create realities for us. Thus, metaphors for our future actions are to be regarded as guidelines (2008. p. 132). They play a central role in the construction of social and political reality (2008. p. 133).

3.1.2 Types of metaphors

Metaphors are produced by us in academic writings as well as in creative areas. Lakoff and Johnson describe three different types of metaphors commonly used in the written word: • Structural metaphors • Orientation metaphors • Ontological metaphors

In their terminology, a structural metaphor is a metaphor „where one concept is metaphorically structure[d] in terms of another.“ (Lakoff/Johnson, 1980. p. 14). That is, that the vocabulary of one domain (source domain) is used to describe another domain (target domain). In this case, the already mentioned example "Argument is war" of the two authors is used (1980. p. 4). The structural metaphor is used by the source domain "war" as the argument to be described and thereby also as the target domain. Examples include the statements "He shot down all my arguments" or "Your claims are indefensible" (1980. p. 4). In this way, reference is usually made to an argument and it is therefore not a stylistic decision as such.

As metaphors that „give a concept of spatial orientation" the metaphor is defined as the orientation metaphor after Lakoff and Johnson (1980. p. 14). In contrast to the structural metaphor, orientation metaphors do not have a source domain to describe a target domain but assign a simple, spatial direction to the target domain. So the authors use the example of the metaphor "happy is up" to describe the direction of the target domain. Statements such as "I'm feeling up" or "My spirits rose" make this clear (1980. p. 15). The orientation metaphor has both a physical and cultural foundation (1980. p. 14). While not as open as the structural ones, these metaphors are clear in understanding how we describe things, situations and feelings.

The ontological metaphors after Lakoff and Johnson allow us to consider an event, activity, emotion, etc. as an entity or substance (1980. p. 25). This becomes clear with the example of "inflation is an entity" and the corresponding statements such as "We need to combat inflation" or "Inflation is backing us into a corner." (1980. p. 26). Ontological metaphors allow us to speak very concretely about abstract concepts that could not otherwise be defined.

While Lakoff and Johnson propose the subdivision into structural, orientation, and ontological metaphors, there are further subdivides available and Katrin Kohl divides them into conventionalized and unconventional metaphors (Kohl, 2007. p. 20). These individual metaphors can thus be placed between "dead" and "innovative". This division is also used in this work.

Figure 1: Conventionalized & unconventional metaphors

The term conventionalized (also conventionally, lexicalized or fixed) means metaphors which are an integral part of a language and are stored in the mental dictionary. These metaphors are usually recorded in dictionaries. In the usage of language they are no longer perceived by the recipient as metaphors, but their literal meaning still exists. The metaphorical meaning, however, is often equated with the literal. These metaphors are of great interest within the theory of metaphors, since they belong to everyday language. Lakoff and Johnson commented on this type of metaphors as follows:

It „handelt […] sich um Metaphern, die das gängige Konzeptsystem unserer Kultur strukturieren, das sich einerseits in unsere Alltagssprache niederschlägt.“10 (Lakoff/Johnson, 2008. p. 161)

10 Translation: It „deals with metaphors that structure the common system of concepts of our culture, which on the one hand is reflected in our everyday language.”

The dead metaphors belong to the subgroup of conventionalized metaphors. They are no longer demonstrable in their imagery and can no longer be recognized with their original meaning. Christa Baldauf's Kopf11 is an example of a dead metaphor. Originally derived from cuppa, meaning cups, the image is no longer preserved today (Baldauf, 1997, p. 86).

As conventional (also: new, occasional metaphors) we understand metaphors that are formed specifically for a specific purpose. Their formed through „der individuellen Phantasie und Kreativität“12 (Lakoff/Johnson, 2008. P. 161) of an person. They allow a new understanding and new experiences in this way. The unconventional metaphors can be consciously perceived by the recipient. By adopting the vocabulary of a community, unconventional can become conventionalized metaphors.

3.1.3 Recognising and understanding of metaphors

If you want to recognise in a text the effect of a metaphor and its origin, you have to recognise them in their context. As soon as one overlooks a metaphor and does not explicitly recognise it as such, its thought-guiding effect is strongest and makes recognition as a metaphor difficult. Above all, they are characterised by their characteristic that metaphors appear transplanted in a certain context.

If we can distinguish the area of origin and the target area, we recognise the metaphor as such. However, this is not always easy, especially in the case of dead metaphors, since their frequent use no longer perceives them as a transmission of the actual thing.

When metaphors are freshly transplanted and alive, they are also most noticeable to the recipient. By contrast, dead metaphors have already taken root and are no longer perceived as transplanted words. However, if you can reconstruct where they originally came from, they can also be recognised as metaphors.

11 Translation: Kopf = Head 12 Translation: "individual imagination and creativity."

Metaphors that are anchored today as dead and inconspicuous in our usage of language can nevertheless unfold a perception-guiding effect on the recipient.

By choosing their area of origin, dead metaphors determine from which perspective we see a particular thing and which attitudes, interests and values we associate with it. The following applies: The more natural dead metaphors are used and the more clearly they stand without an alternative, the more the description of reality becomes "true" (Drewer, 2003, p. 114).

To recognize and understand the effect of metaphors, there are several possibilities: • take metaphors literally and recognise their scope (recognition of analogies and disanalogies) • Identify blind spots, missing metaphors in common • Exposing the metaphor as an argument (final rules according to the patterns: if A = B, then C or because of A = B, hence C). The final rule combines the argument with the inference. • Metaphors in contrast (comparing the metaphor with another expression that focuses on the same subject matter)

3.1.4 Metaphors and Frames

The analysis of metaphors is based on so-called framing, which means that the two knowledge structures are represented and described as frames.

Frames are networks of experiential knowledge that we associate with concepts. For example, we hear an expression and find that we connect it with various knowledge units without much effort. For example, the frame water forms the knowledge that water flows as well as circulates, that it forms waves and consists of single drops.

Frames can be understood as conceptual metaphors that can transfer entire knowledge assets from the source domain to the target domain and then create new ways of thinking.

Metaphorical expressions and phrases seldom come alone; this is taught us by conceptual metaphors and frames. They mostly appear bundled as the following example by Lakoff and Johnson describes:

We describe a love relationship as:

 Look how far we’ve come.  We’re at a crossroads.  We can’t turn back now.  This relationship is a dead-end street.  We’re stuck.  It’s been a long, bumpy road.

The conceptual metaphor is: LOVE IS A JOURNEY (Lakoff / Johnson, 1980. p. 115) and the frame JOURNEY is sent to the recipient.

The source domain highlights aspects of the target domain. „This bias in the process of conceptualization is what, from this theoretical perspective, constitutes the ‘framing’ power of metaphor.” (Semino et. al. 2016. p. 4). Studies use the term framing to explain how the choice of a metaphor can relate to the opinions and views of people. Here, the focus is on the process of framing, so the use of language can reflect and facilitate understandings (2016. p. 5).

3.2 News-Framing

People are rarely well enough informed about a topic or cognitively active to retrieve their own facts or explanations. For this reason, they mainly use mass- media-mediated information and interpretations for orientation. (Entman, 1993. p. 55) However, this information is almost never “just information”, but rather selective and interspersed with stereotypes that only highlight a part of what is going on.

Our knowledge of the world, of causes and consequences, therefore, largely depends on the framing and interpretation of the clues we receive about it. The framing approach deals with such framing of topics and events. It is about the descriptions of one and the same state of the world, which, however, produce different meanings in their statement (Kahneman, 2011. p. 447).

The meaning of what people assume as “real” thus does not arise automatically, but is developed by the interpretation, contextualization and evaluation of different actors (Matthes, 2007. p. 16). Through an active process of highlighting and hiding certain information and positions, they create meaning horizons that determine our perspective on a topic (Matthes, 2014a. p. 10).

Erwin Goffman first describes frames in 1974 as follows: Frames are interpretive schemes that allow individuals to recognize, identify and categorize events in their habitat and in the world in general (Benford/Snow, 2000. p. 614). “I assume that definitions of a situation are built up in accordance with principals of organization which govern events and our subjective involvement in them; frame is the word I use to refer to such of these basic elements as I am able to identify.” (Goffman, 1974. p. 10).

Goffman's study “Frame Analysis” explored human behaviour and perception processes in natural situations. Since individuals can not understand the world in its entirety, the underlying assumption is that individuals need to structure events meaningfully in order to understand them and make sense of the world around them (Goffman, 1974, p. 8).

By framing an event, people declare incidents. As part of this process, they organise, link and evaluate the different aspects to make sense of the whole event. After the result of this interpretation process, the consequences for one's own actions are derived.

The extent of this finding became clear a short time later in social psychology studies by Kahneman and Tversky (1981). The authors were able to show that subjects derived different action consequences when they had presented identical facts with different framing. Depending on the emphasis on positive or negative aspects, the subjects made different decisions, although the facts had not changed (Matthes, 2004. p. 28).

The fact that people, on the one hand, develop frames for understanding things and, on the other hand, also assume frames presented to them; was an important insight into the development of framing research, which was further expanded and differentiated in subsequent years.

By presenting patterns of interpretation, frames help to classify and efficiently process new information (Scheufele, 2003. p. 46). The resulting perspectives of

the recipient on a topic or event finally determine his conclusions regarding the problem definition, the causes, the evaluation and the possible solutions. Therefore, strategic players try to win the battle for interpretive sovereignty and thus to convince the public of their point of view (Matthes, 2014. p. 9).

Framing is a complex pattern of multiple elements that provide a view of reality and can be viewed in a strategic or a journalistic content. The communication- scientific framing approach deals with the origin and consequences of such politically and culturally effective framing of complex topics, primarily through media coverage (Matthes, 2007. p. 18). Different accesses to the approach are possible. Because the communicators and the media as well as the media and the recipients both exert mutual influence on each other and determine the frames formed by their selection mechanisms. All players involved in the framing process, therefore, play an active role.

3.3 Comparisons after Ortony

As „eine explizite Verbindung von zwei Vorstellungen oder Begriffen die nicht identisch sind, aber (angeblich) in einem oder mehreren Aspekten eine Ähnlichkeit aufweisen: A ist wie B.“13 describes Katrin Kohl the definition of comparisons.

Brunschwig defines the comparison as follows: „Zwei Objekte vergleichen heißt: Sie aufmerksam […] mit spezieller Hinsicht auf ihr gegenseitiges Verhältnis betrachten.“14

It can be deduced from this that a comparison requires at least two objects in order to enable this recognition of a relationship; whether equality or inequality. Without comparisons, we can not cope in our everyday life: So we see the differences such as good and evil, red & green, man & woman, etc. exposed every day.

In contrast to the metaphor, a comparison does not conflict with the known reality. There is no equation, but a production of similarity. The effort of the imagination is, therefore, less for the recipient than for the processing of a metaphor. For a

13 Translation: "an explicit combination of two ideas or concepts that are not identical but (allegedly) similar in one or more aspects: A is like B.” 14 Translation: "To compare two objects means to observe [...] them with special regard to their mutual relationship."

comparison, however, several linguistic indicators must be present, while a metaphor on the principle "A is B" works.

In the German but also English language it is the composition of the sentences with verbs, conjunctions and different word formations. The following signal words and endings point to the recipient when looking at a comparison:

 A is like B  A is in the style of B  A is B-like  A is reminiscent of B  A is similar to B  A acts like B  -like  -ig (German word ending)  -haft (German word ending)  -lich (German word ending)  As if

According to Kohl, the above examples allow comparisons to be recognized and their meaning is taken from the context (Kohl, 2007. p. 74)

3.3.1 Comparisons and Similes (Ortony)

Ortony uses and extends the work of Arnos Tversky in his essay on comparison. He divides the comparisons in terms of their literality into actual comparisons and similes. He was preceded by the division of Tversky into similes and similarity statements. (Ortony, 1979. pp. 161-164)

3.3.2 Types of comparisons (Ortony)

As literal comparisons Ortony refers to the actual comparisons and defines them as follows: „(I)f two things share some characteristics that are both important to both, then those things will be perceived as literally similar.“(Ortony, 1979. p. 164) Ortony thus finds a pure similarity between two objects that have the same characteristics as the character.

But since the verbal comparisons are mostly understood to be true and therefore do not cause an imagination in the recipient, they can not be

assigned to the linguistic images and are thus not the subject of the present investigation.

The similes are similar to the metaphors, as they evoke an imagination in the recipient. Ortony notes that only the comparison signal distinguishes the similes from the metaphors. (1979. p. 40)

3.3.3 What is the difference between Similes and metaphors?

Similes use signal words for example like or as to describe objects and therefore to compare them with each other. Metaphors, on the other hand, aim for a direct comparison. So the sentence: “Life is like a box of chocolates." is a comparison whiles the phrase "Love is a battlefield." is to be understood as metaphors.

3.4 Hyperbole and Litotes 3.4.1 The essence of hyperbole

In the rhetoric, the hyperbole is referred to as a stylistic device of exaggeration in order to achieve a special emphasis on something. The hyperbola belongs to the tropics15, i.e. they replace an actual expression with one that enhances or even exaggerates this expression.

The hyperbola is a central process of rhetorical enhancement, since these; says more than it actually means, is true or believable or even exaggerates. It exaggerates the designated object or fact by the formulation appropriate to the hyperbolic term.

The hyperbola serves as a stylistic device, in particular, the pathetic effective stimulation and increases the imagination of the recipient. Metaphors and comparisons are usually associated with a hyperbola, as these further supports the intention to increase.

3.4.2 Types of hyperbole and litotes

As a denial of the opposite of what is meant or even as an understatement, the Litotes is assigned as a stylistic device of rhetoric.

15 Tropics translate from Greek to meanings. They designate forms of "improper" speech. That in place of the actual word a transferable expression occurs. Tropics are thus stylistic devices in the field of semantics and usually concern individual words. (Dreischmeier, 2013. p.1)

The Litotes usually contains a hyperbola and is an explicit form of irony. Their effect is based on the fact that the negation always has a scope that has to be filled by the recipient and not the producer.

Litotes lead in their use more often to misunderstandings. Thus, the recipient usually overlooks the important part of negation and thus perceives an opposing message (Focus, 2006).

4. Mass media and mass communication

Mass media can be classified as technically produced and mass-distributed media. They serve the transmission of different information to large groups of people. Here mass media can be divided into three areas:

 Print (newspaper, magazine, book ...)  Auditory and audiovisual (radio and TV)  Multimedia and interactive (Internet)

Mass media are part of everyday life and serve as the main source of social and political information. By means of the media, a so-called mass communication takes place which Theodor Lewandowski defines as follows: Mass communication is “eine Form der Kommunikation mit öffentlicher Aussage und technischer Verbreitung an ein großes und heterogenes Publikum.“16 (Lewandowski, 1975. p. 410).

Characteristics of mass communication according to Maletzke is the communication of the form: “bei der Aussagen öffentlich, also ohne begrenzte und personell definierte Empfängerschaft, durch technische Verbreitungsmittel, indirekt, also bei räumlicher und zeitlicher oder raumzeitlicher Distanz zwischen den Kommunikationspartnern, und einseitig, d.h. ohne Rollenwechsel zwischen Aussagendem und Aufnehmendem, an ein disperses Publikum im Sinne einer Anzahl von Menschen, die sich einer Aussagen der Massenkommunikation zuwendet, vermittelt werden.“17 (Maletzke, 1963, p. 32).

16 Translation: "a form of communication with a public statement and technical dissemination to a large and heterogeneous audience." 17 Translation: "in the statements publicly, thus without limited and personal defined receiver, by technical means of distribution, indirectly, thus with spatial and temporal or spatial-temporal distance between the communication partners, and one-sidedly, i.e. without a change of roles between the uttering and the receiving, to a disperse audience in the sense of a number of people turning to statements of mass communication."

Maletzke names four factors of mass communication, which are equally important for the mass communication processes in sport: communicator, medium, statement and recipient. Any person or group is considered a communicator, provided that they are involved in the production of public statements distributed by a mass media. Here, the responsible sports journalist is to be regarded as a communicator in sports reporting. The medium, which determines the content and type of distribution itself, is the technical instrument and the recipient is considered to decrypted and recorded the statement (1963, pp. 32-41).

Through mass communication, sport in its present form, as we know it, has become a public entertainment. Thus, media and sport benefit from each other and are important economic factors.

The central function of the mass media is the transmission of information. This information widens the subjective knowledge of the recipient. The mass media have an important role to play in democratic states. These are intended to provide the population with truthful, complete, objective and understandable information. Thus, the recipients form their own opinion in relation to politics and society.

5. Football coverage

In general, football has become one of the most important mass media communication topics in recent years. So are „Massenmedien ohne Sport […] kaum noch denkbar. Sportereignisse ohne Medienpräsenz tendieren zum Nicht-Ereignis oder zumindest zur Provinzialität.“18 (Fischer, 2004. p. 58).

The growth and popularity of sports are hardly conceivable without the intervention and influence of the media. The sport can be roughly divided into media and recreational sports. For example, media sports only include selected sports, which are also increasingly present at sporting events (Stamm, 2002. p. 159). Here, the athletes exercise the sport as a profession and are also remunerated. In recreational sports is not only the physical exercise but also the entertainment and fun in the foreground. Thus it can be said that the media sport can be counted to the entertainment industry.

The football in Germany and England can be assigned to the media sports, but it is also operated as a recreational sport and thus also unprofessional. The coverage of

18 Translation: Thus, "mass media without sports [...] are hardly conceivable. Sports events without media presence tend to be non-events or at least provincial.”

29 football is designed primarily to maximize profits, and accordingly, the dramaturgy of sport as the need of the audience comes first (2002. p. 146).

The increasingly important "human touch journalism", which focuses on the emotions and actors, promises another great entertainment value for the recipient. Thus, more and more background stories, interview, etc. can be found in the sports section of the media again. This creates proximity and identification potential in the recipient (2002, p. 155).

In the next chapter of this work, the individual types of sports coverage will be discussed. However, the first attempt should be made to classify the sports language in the general system of the language.

5.1 Football coverage

Through the transmission of various sports from England towards the end of the 19th century and also by the growth in popularity, it came in the various sections of the population and countries to the emergence of a sports language.

England has laid the foundation for this, as much of its usage in sport has been adopted in other countries as well. This process started with English terminology, which did not succeed in many areas of the native language. Especially in 1903 Konrad Koch, who was already presented as a pioneer of German football at the beginning of this work, tried to introduce a German football terminology.

At the end of the 19th century, and with the revival of the Olympic Games, the sport was able to enter journalism. Due to the lack of specialization of the events, however, journalists at that time had to resort to the general language. The sports coverage at the time had little to do with the language of today's sport. At that time, the event was rather brought to the attention of the public in a more political way, the description of the sport, the results and thereby the emotions did not materialize. Linden, therefore, calls this section of sports coverage a time of rejection (Linden, 1994. p. 83).

With the 1930s and also by the Hitler dictatorship, the general sports language became National Socialist. The language was coined by politics and ideology and words like "war," "struggle," "victory," and "homeland." After World War II Germany was anxious not to present politics any more in the sports language.

One turned exclusively to the sport and its events. However, this also affected the emotionlessness of the language.

With the instrumentalisation of an athlete as a hero, this situation changed in the 60s. The athlete as a private person and the sport he exercises were now closely considered each other. During the Cold War and the struggle between the political camps, the politicization of sport came back. Words such as "war," "fight," etc. were often used as metaphors for the events and happenings in the sport. These metaphors have prevailed in both German and English and are still finding their way into sports coverage today. These and other metaphors will be discussed more explicitly during the empirical investigation (1994. p. 88).

In Germany, one lost the superficial political vocabularies only with the wall between west and east. The term war continues to find a place in the sports language and other image areas were added.

5.2 Technical terminology

Before we subdivide the language of the sport as such into the various categories, we must first determine whether the language of the sport as such counts as a common language or even as a technical language.

Regarding the position of the sports language in the overall system of language, there is no consensus within the research literature. In her research, Dagmar Krenkova draws attention to the question of the division into a certain area, such as technical language, special language (also known as the common language), standard language, group language or jargon.

From a sociological point of view, the sports language can not be a language of the stand, as the sportsmen and women come from all walks of life. Also, the group language can be foreseen in this work, because the group formation takes place only on the level of clubs and teams. I mainly use the work of Egle Kontutyte, Hans-Rüdiger Fluck and Lothar Hoffmann for the classification of the sports language within the technical language:

The use of language in various areas of life is called varieties19. The technical language can, therefore, be understood and used as a linguistic variety. The

19 Translation: "Variety is a linguistic system that can be further defined by extra linguistic parameters. A variety can be defined in real terms and is then a dialect or functionally as special or special language, etc., or sociologically as a sociolect."(Veith, 2002. p. 14)

language used in a discipline (e.g., in a sport or in linguistics) may be called a technical language. However, the language should also have the following characteristics, according to Egle Kontutyte:

 Used in the department  The transmitter is a specialist  Gives specialized content, for the purposes of understanding technical subjects  Has a specific vocabulary  Often uses certain grammatical resources  Has specific textual features and appears as a specific type of text (Kontutyte, 2017. p. 6)

In linguistics, there are different definitions of technical languages. However, the definition by Lothar Hoffmann is one of the best known in Germany. „Fachsprache – das ist die Gesamtheit aller sprachlichen Mittel, die in einem fachlich begrenzten Kommunikationsbereich verwendet werden, um die Verständigung der dort tätigen Fachleute zu gewährleisten.“20 (Hoffmann, 1985. p. 2).

In order to be able to determine the terminology explicitly, it is usually contrasted with the common language in science. As a common language, the language is understood as „jenes Instrumentarium an sprachlichen Mitteln, über das alle Angehörigen einer Sprachgemeinschaft verfügen und das deshalb die sprachliche Verständigung zwischen ihnen möglich macht.“21 (1985. p. 48).

From this, it can be determined that the common language is understandable for almost all members of a language community, while the technical language is only to be defined for certain groups i.e. for experts (Kontutyte, 2017. p. 9). The common language is therefore also for the private and public domain. According to Fluck, each terminology exerts an influence on the common language. This is primarily done in terms of lexicon and its syntax. Mass media, non-fiction and advertising are to be named as a source here (Fluck, 1996. p. 161-162).

20 Translation: "Technical language - that is the sum of all linguistic means that are used in a limited field of communication to ensure the understanding of the professionals working there." 21 Translation: As a common language, language is understood as "that (the) instrument of linguistic pictures (is) available to all members of a linguistic community, which therefore makes linguistic communication between them possible."

Fluck also claims that the meaning of metaphors and phrases is also due to the technical languages (1996. p. 163). The climbing the ladder has been adopted as a metaphor for the success of the sports language in the common language (Kontutyte, 2017. p. 10).

In summary, the language of sports is primarily to be assigned to the technical language, as it has sports terminology and technical terms. Secondary, the language of sports, especially in Germany and in England is also the common language. The transmission of different terms of the sports language takes place mainly via mass media to people (who do not belong to this community) instead. The language of sports is thus the language used within a sports community (Krenkova, 2002, p. 48). Referees, coaches, athletes, sports journalists and also the public count to Dagmar Krenkova to this community.

5.3 Categories of the sport language

In order to distinguish the sports language in other categories, I mainly use the work of Hermann Bausinger (1988) as a support. He distinguishes between technical terminology, jargon and the language of reports in his work "Dreiteilung der Sportsprache."

Here he considers the distinction according to categories and according to „funktionalen und kommunikativen Kriterien“22 as appropriate (Bausinger, 1988. p. 25-27) and differentiates as follows:

 Technical terminology: the specialized vocabulary of sports (official rules, organizations, etc.)  Technical jargon: the vocabulary of athletes, coaches and spectators  Report language: the language of reporting (but it should also be more accurately differentiated between the different media: radio, television and press.) (Krenkova, 2002. p. 60)

5.3.1 Terminology

Through the transmission of sports and the adoption of various expressions from the English, it is easy to understand that just the English language is often found in the terminology. As a first step towards the emergence of a sports language, the adoption of the first translation

22 Translation: "functional and communicative criteria"

suggestions was particularly relevant. This situation has by no means changed over the last few years, so it is hardly surprising that the language in sport is strongly influenced by the Anglicism. The sports terms can be further divided into three different groups:

1.) German expressions have displaced English words

2.) For some technical terms, there is no clear translation, they can only be rewritten

3.) There is a suitable translation, but the English terms are preferred

5.3.2 Jargon

As an athlete, trainer or audience language, the jargon is often referred to in sports. In this category, you can find the everyday, sport-language expressions of the sport. (Burkhardt, 2006. p. 55) The origin of the sports jargon is the communication between athletes or persons directly involved in the event (Küster, 2009. p. 64)

So the football is referred to as the actual gaming device in Germany often as a pill, marble, cherry or leather. Dependent this is also mostly regional. Even in jargon, the use of metaphors is a striking feature. The use of the sports jargon within a community should strengthen the sense of belonging or even exclude other communication parties (Küster, 2009. p. 67)

5.3.3 Report language

As the language that „für den Sport eine vergleichbare Funktion wie die Standardsprache im Rahmen der sprachlichen Subsysteme (einnimmt)“23 (Brandt, 1988. p. 27) occupies.

The report language should be differentiated within the various media such as press, radio and television. First and foremost, however, there is always the need to make reporting as attractive as possible for the recipients. This is precisely why the reports are often dramatized; illustrated and even conflicts are often overstated.

23 Translation: „for sport a comparable function as the standard language in the context of linguistic subsystems”

The sports journalists use here both words from the sports technical language as well as turns and vocabulary from the sports jargon (Fingerhut, 1991. p. 148).

Furthermore, the frequent use of stylistic means such as hyperbolas and metaphors in the report language can be observed. This can make the coverage of the audience more emotional and dynamic.

6. Media types of sports coverage

In all media is equally reported in the sport. This is usually dependent on the needs of the respective audience. Football is currently regarded as the popular sport in England and Germany and is therefore increasingly being used in sports coverage by the media. According to Fischer, no other program is as well suited to multimedia exploitation as the sport (Fischer, 2004, p. 58).

The following clarifies which media participate in sports reporting:

6.1 Print media

Since print media are less up-to-date and require more time from the event to publication, they focus on commenting on the situation. The focus is usually on an interview, background reports and views (Vollmert-Spiesky, 1996. p. 5). Surprisingly, however, is the sports section, which is becoming more extensive. This is also due to the increasing relevance of sports reporting and the needs of the readership (Jürgens, 1998, p. 104).

Nowadays print media can be divided into daily and weekly newspapers as well as magazines. The daily newspapers are further differentiated within their sales region into regional, national and international newspapers.

As in the print media, neither on television nor on the radio can any of the regional and even local sports be addressed. This binds especially the readership in non- industrial and living regions to a publishing house.

In addition to the newspapers, there are also magazines with a different publication cycle which focus on sports in particular. While there are magazines

that include several sports, there are also magazines that focus on individual sports.

6.2 Television

Various forms of coverage exist on television: before, during or after the sporting event. Furthermore, the reports can be divided into live broadcasts or summaries of the happenings. There are also forms such as expert discussions, discussions, documentations and interviews.

The entertainment function is more dominant than the mere transfer of information. Jürgens makes clear here that a development from information to tabloid journalism takes place (Jürgens, 1998. p. 100).

Within football coverage, Hackfort distinguished four basic journalistic types of sports coverage (Hackforth, 2004. p. 43):

 Sports News - integrated into the evening general news broadcasts  (live) sports broadcasts  (sports) interviews  Mediation of Sporting Techniques (2004. pp. 43-44)

The latter has become superfluous due to the general distribution and awareness of the sport. In addition to these three categories, other types of reporting have been able to establish, but the first three of the above-mentioned continue to be among the most important.

Due to the increased popularity of sports, these naturally also aroused the interest of companies that want to contribute financially. However, this does not appear in this work and will therefore not be described further.

6.3 Radio

In addition to television, print and online media, radio plays a minor role in sports coverage today. However, when there was no television broadcasting, let alone the Internet, radio was very popular in coverage.

The acoustic character allowed the radio a fast and detailed dissemination of the events. The fact that the radio was able to broadcast direct transmissions gave the recipient a feeling of being there.

However, it is especially important that the radio reporter can describe the sports in such a way that the impression arises that the listener is live. Dankert claims here that the possible game scenes are already anchored to some extent in the language of the game and that thus the radio reporter can fall back on these formulations (Dankert, 2007. p. 95).

6.4 Internet

Although the classic media still dominate sports coverage, in recent years it has increasingly developed on the Internet. It can combine elements of written, visual and audio-visual reporting.

The high degree of up-to-dateness and the fact that electronic aids are needed make the Internet into the field of electronic reporting. Results, articles and information appear faster than in any other medium. This increases the advantages for a recipient in the selection and use of the medium.

Furthermore, the ever-growing archive of information is an advantage for the use of the Internet as a medium. This allows much faster access to historical events in the sports.

While the Internet may claim access to current and historical information as an advantage, it is not (yet) able to deliver visual live broadcasts. On the one hand, the technical possibilities are not yet available and, on the other hand, the broadcasting rights of sporting events are usually with the television stations.

6.5 Text types

The predominantly information-oriented texts include the text type of sports reporting. Most frequently, reports, news and messages appear in the press. Of great importance are also opinionated text types such as comments and opinion interviews. These text types are used both in the print area and on the Internet. However, live coverage is only possible online.

Message: The focus is on a simple and truthful presentation of the facts. The dominant linguistic action is the message. The message has the character of syntactic compressibility, i.e. the message consists only of the most elementary facts.

Hard news article: As a current, neutral and factual communication of information, the hard news is defined. Mostly it addresses only political, economic and cultural matters. The structure of the text follows the principle: important first, unimportant afterwards. To underline the reliability of the information, credentials such as sources and citations are often named and used.

Soft news article: In the soft news topics such as scandals, crimes, calamities, disasters are in the foreground. That means everything on the subject of human interest, which should then be presented emotionally and within entertainment. Linguistic means such as contrasts, phraseologisms, irony, etc. are often used for decoration and should lighten up the texts.

Report: The report is referred to as a factual rendition of an event or fact. These should be written neutrally and objectively. The reporting here is usually done in chronological order of events. Reports are more complex and diverse compared to the message. They are not limited to the mere communication of information, but also include other components (background reports, statements, and quotes).

Reportage: In the foreground of the reportage are the facts, which are subjective, authentically and emotionally presented by the rapporteur. Not only is it factually communicated what happened, but the feelings and impressions of the reporter are included. The reportage has the goal that the reader gets the feeling of participation in the action. Above all, the tempo choice, direct speech, adverbial determinations, etc. are used as a linguistic style in the reports.

Comment: The commentary is one of the opinion-based types of text and is distinguished by critical statements regarding the event or topic. The journalist comments on the starting point and assesses this argumentatively. The aim of a commentary is to formulate the opinion of the recipient in relation to the starting point of the commentary.

Opinion interviews: Opinion interviews are contributions that provide arguments and explanations on the facts presented and thus also influence the opinion of the recipients. Among the advantages of this type of text include the reality, authenticity and immediacy of the information. Immediately after an event, politicians, athletes or experts often speak and voice their opinion on the event. In this case, the journalist is the one who initiates, controls and terminates the interview with his own questions.

Feature: The feature is the clarification of the characteristics of persons and events. The information in an article is processed in an entertaining way through certain linguistic styles. The "human-touch journalism" is at the forefront of this type of text (Krenkova, 2002. p. 26).

Live coverage: Live coverage is another type of text that is used primarily in sports coverage. Here, the sports journalists write almost simultaneous short news about the events of the sporting event. These journalists are usually sitting directly in the press area of the event or in front of a live broadcasting device. The length of the live coverage here depends largely on the events of the sporting event and thus varies.

For the present work and the empirical investigation, the text type’s football follow- up reports were chosen. The decisions were mainly on the factor of the timely transmission of the articles in the online services of the newspaper houses as well as in the length of the articles to be recorded. Likewise, the emotional, authentic and interesting writing style of football reviews is another reason for the decision.

7. Linguistic features in football coverage

As in every football language, the language of the game has special features, which is why this topic is described below. However, as the general language of the sport differs from the football language, only features of the language in football are discussed below. It also seems important to focus on the reporting language in the online reporting media.

In an attempt to investigate aspects of today's footballing language, it is important to always consider the fact that the language of the football can only be examined in terms of its appearance in the media, because only in this area can the language production of football in practice, be it oral or written, to be observed. Of course, the football language is more diverse than just the media-related variant, in addition to the football language of the sports journalists; one has the sportsmen, experts, fans, and so on. Nevertheless, it is clear that football has become more and more of a media event in recent decades.

According to Krenkova, sports journalists want to „eine möglichst lebendige, anschauliche und fesselnde Darbietung des Stoffes“24 (Krenkova, 2002, p. 39) so that the recipient can be entertained, informed and supported in his opinion-forming.

Through the use of linguistic pictures, the goal can be realized to increase reports in the construction of dynamics and tension. Since the linguistic images are examined in this work, the focus is particularly on the lexicon of football coverage.

The football language in Germany includes a variety of foreign words; this is due to the internationalization of the sport and the origin of football from the UK. Thus, the German technical terminology foreign words such as: dribbling, foul, fair, etc., which the football communities have taken over from the English.

But also words from other technical languages such as economics, technology or other sports are used in the football report language.25

It is well-known that the report language uses the linguistic pictures to visualize moves, results or the entire course of a game. At the same time, Fingerhut makes it clear that in the report language of football, word fields dominate and which thus are also related to linguistic images. Fingerhut calls here the emotionality, struggle, violence, profit, achievement, spectacle and technique as frequently occurring word fields in the football report language (Fingerhut, 1991. p. 64-88).26

The football language has a significant closeness to the general language, because the more popular the sport, the closer the language is to the general language (Vollmer-Spiesky, 1996. p. 87). Football coverage is characterized in particular by the fact that it uses language (use emotionally charged words and exaggerations) to make the reporting interesting for the recipients.

Due to lack of space and time, the media is obliged to reduce the football matches to a few important scenes, so that the recipients get a relatively general impression of the course of the football matches. Most of the time, in these selected situations, it's all about the important events on the pitch: goals, goal scoring scenes, corner or free kicks, hard or heavy fouls punished with yellow, red, or possibly yellow-red cards,

24 Translation: “achieve the most vivid, vivid and captivating presentation of the material" 25 Technology and business: effective, organize, precision, technically at the highest level, etc. Sports: Counter, Parry, Powerplay, etc. (Fingerhut, 1991. p. 98f) 26 The individual word fields are not explicitly mentioned because they do not serve the empirical investigation. However, it can be seen later in the paper that many of the linguistic images used are in the word fields listed by Fingerhut.

injuries, etc. Game situations such as midfield play or kicking are often not taken into account because they do not have a definitive impact on the final score.

8. Empirical investigation

Now that the theoretical considerations have been presented in the previous chapters, the empirical investigation of the work follows. First, the aim of the analysis is described and which media and texts are used for it. Then I will explain the methodology, present the results of the study and classify them in the understanding. Finally, an outlook and the commentary on further research topics based on this are given.

8.1 Aim of the investigation

The aim of this work is to examine sports articles in German and English online services of newspapers in relation to the use of linguistic images. Here are the following research questions that should be answered with the analysis:

5.) How often are linguistic images used in the language of football and there is a difference between English and German coverage? 6.) Do we (fans and sports journalists) still need metaphors and similes while we are reporting for football? 7.) Is the use of the football language so creative? 8.) Are There Differences Between National Broadsheet and Newspaper Reports?

By answering the research questions, it can be distinguished with regard to the linguistic images which linguistic images belong to the fixed football subject language and thus terminology and which are used due to the creativity of the journalist.

The stereotypical language often used by the football report language is a reproach which suggests that hardly any unconventional linguistic images are used by sports journalists. This should be identified as an additional area within the analysis.

Another interesting question could be whether the respective articles of an online newspaper were written by one or more journalists. His preferences in the use of linguistic images could lead to an alienation of the results here. Therefore, the naming of the various sports journalists should be listed and collected.

Through the results and answers to the above-mentioned research questions, sports journalists, linguists and media departments in football have the opportunity to draw conclusions about their work, to evaluate it and possibly even to adjust it. It is also possible for football enthusiasts to understand the work of sports correspondents and strengthen their own understanding of the processing of football news.

8.2 Text corpus and study period

The media selected for the survey are among the largest national daily newspapers in both England and Germany. Their work on both their own online newspaper portals is therefore comparable. Thus, all four media have a large sports area on the website and as football nations also their own football category. It covers football reports for the national league, regional news coverage and international football matches of the national team. Here is a brief outline of the selected media:

Sueddeutsche.de: The SZ.de has "become one of the leading portals of German quality daily newspapers, which combines all the digital services of the house under the roof of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung." (SZ.de) In the modern times, there should be no difference make more, where and how, whether digitally or on paper, the information for the readers appears - the Newspaper or on their website. The website also indicates that the daily updated issue (next day) will be ready to go online from 7pm and all news will be updated around the clock. This and the offer of high-quality journalism were decisive for the selected medium in this analysis. Either read or use up to 647,000 people a week the digital offer of the publishing house. As of October 2017, SZ.de recorded 64.4 million visitors on its website. (SZ.de)

Bild.de: Bild.de calls itself "Germany's largest news entertainment portal [...] has the widest range of editorial online offerings." (Bild.de/ About Bild.de) Every month Bild.de can refer to 417 click numbers, the special interested in topics from the fields of news, business, politics, shows, sports and celebrities. Bild.de is today

part of the Axel Springer publishing house and operates through Bild GmbH & Co.KG. (Bild.de/ About Bild.de)

The Telegraph: The Telegraph is an award-winning multimedia news brand, standing for 160 years of quality and credible journalism in the UK. The company's portfolio includes the website, an app, The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph as print versions, as well as a Telegraph Edition app. The digital content reaches up to 25 million users within the UK and beyond. In 1994, The Telegraph was the first English daily newspaper to develop a digital website. (Telegraph.co.uk/About Us)

The Sun: The Sun is a daily British tabloid. With around 2 million copies daily (2014), she is the daily newspaper with the highest circulation (Booth, 2014. Thedrum.com). In its online version, The Sun records circa 5.4 million clicks daily (newsworks.org.uk/TheSun). In the meantime, it is very interesting that The Sun devotes itself first to football, then to sports in general, and then to other topics in the order of the registers on the website. This makes it clear that The Sun sees the entertainment and tabloid themes as their agenda.

The investigation period covers the period of qualifying matches for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Germany and England have played ten games each in the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup. In contrast to England, Germany has won all the games and has moved into the draw for the preliminary round group winners. England was able to decide all games except for two draws and thus pulled as group winners in the preliminary round. For each national team of 20 follow-up reports (10x tabloid and 10x broadsheet) are examined and analysed. The text corpus to be determined thus comprises 40 articles.

The follow-up reports of all matches of the respective national teams are analysed within the online daily newspapers listed above. However, for this, I distance myself from the reports written by so-called news agencies and focus only on the articles written by individual journalists. All articles are a follow-up report available to the recipients on the websites within three hours27 of the end of the game.

27 Rarely, an article was only available the next morning. Therefore, the study continues to be comparable and only a small proportion of articles fall outside the direct reporting model.

Figure 2: English Newspapers - Key Data

As can be seen in Figure 2, all English articles are more or less detailed reports on the games. While The Telegraph gives an average of 1,130 words of football coverage, The Sun's average is just 508 words. It should also be noted that the Telegraph has only two authors who have alternated in reporting for the English national team in their qualifying matches. At The Sun, it's surprising that sometimes two journalists are responsible for a short article. However, the names also occur here more often. It can be concluded that both newspapers in their online reporting rely on proven journalists who are responsible for one area of the sports sector. Compared to English daily newspapers, German daily newspapers have similarities with regard to Newspaper and Tabloid as well as the number of written words.

Figure 3: German Newspapers - Key Data

The difference between Newspaper and Tabloid is also evident in German football coverage. While the Bild newspaper uses only about 427 words on average for one article, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung already has almost 800 words per article. As with The Sun, several authors collaborate on an article in the Bild newspaper. Surprising, however, is the large number of journalists. Six journalists write an article of just 381 words (see Germany - Czech Republic on 08.10.16). However, it can also be seen here that Bild always resorts to the same pool of sports journalists, whereas the Sueddeutsche uses up to five authors (three articles are published without the author's note) for a total of ten games.

8.3 Methodology

As a method for the investigation, I decided to use the textual analysis of the newspaper articles for the quantitative content analysis. It allows me a systematic and quantitative analysis of the communication content. Furthermore, the key terms for an analysis can be mentioned and researched. This should eventually lead to long-term changes and trends in media coverage. The measurement of the countable properties, which are predefined as metaphors, similes, litotes and hyperbole, can thus be made more easily available.

According to Anders Hansen (1998), the content analysis can be applied with six key steps. I also chose these six steps for my analysis. They include: 1.) Definition of the Research Problem 2.) Selection of media and sample 3.) Defining analytical categories 4.) Constructing a coding schedule 5.) Piloting the coding schedule and checking reliability 6.) Data-preparation and analysis

Furthermore, the course of the phases after Werner Früh (2007) could also be used. Here the problems and the questions are first defined in the planning phase. The hypotheses are also developed before the category development and thus the codebook is defined in the development phase. This is necessary for the later coding of the articles. Before that, however, a sample coding must take place so that all relevant terms etc. can be included in the analysis.

One benefit of quantitative content analysis is that one can draw conclusions in the past, and this is especially important for a diachronic developmental issue.28 Furthermore, this method is modifiable and, as long as the codebook is incomplete, I can act and adapt as quickly as possible. In order to be able to answer my research questions at the end, different hypotheses have to be developed in the planning phase. Here, a distinction is made, above all, in open and closed hypotheses. Which hypotheses are finally used for coding must be decided on a sample basis.

Possible challenges of my work and how to solve them could be: 1.) Too much or too few selected items for a reliable evaluation Solution: The newspapers are checked and changed. If there is not enough material, I will add one more medium per country. Online reporting is not used in my work. However, this would certainly be interesting to add, should the amount of articles be insufficient. Here could be another research question: Are there differences between online and print media? 2.) The evaluation period and the entire time schedule can’t be adhered to Solution: The priorities must be set for this. It is primarily a dissertation that includes an empirical investigation. If the time can’t be kept, I have to leave

28 This diachronic comparison is not used in this work because the time frame of the reporting is not meaningful for such a comparison. Again, there is the possibility of a continuing investigation into further qualifying games in recent years.

out topics such as the diachronic development of football coverage in recent years. For this topic, I have not yet chosen a meaningful period of time, but I could minimize this to a small time window. 3.) I lose the thread of my research Solution: In order to keep an eye on my research questions as well as my investigation and so that my work does not include unnecessary topics, the timetable and content management will be important. These should always be brought up to date and if necessary be changed.

The analysis looks at headings, subheads, and the article itself. These are stored within a data collection and presented in the results. The study of the captions is not done in this work, because the amount of embedded images differs significantly from the media. However, it can be seen that The Sun and Bild use several images in their articles.29

In order not to falsify the investigation and to reduce the results of the linguistic images used, only the linguistic images referred to in Chapter three are identified and recorded in the data collection. All other linguistic images and explanations can be used in further research. Words that are defined in several linguistic images are also included twice or more times in the quantitative analysis and recorded in the data collection.30

29 It would certainly be interesting to examine in what context and in what quantity these appear within the reporting and within the various media. This topic may be included for further investigation. 30 At the beginning of the trial phase, the football nouns found in the coverage were also collected. However, this would change the amount of work involved and the actual goal of establishing language resources. Football nouns and their affiliation to the everyday language as well as their quantitative use within the reporting can also be considered here for a further study.

9. Examination results

In the following chapter of this thesis, the results of the analysis are presented. The quantitative distribution is here visible by the relative frequency of their appearance in the articles. However, I also clarify this with the help of diagrams. To answer the research question of creativity, I have used the classification into conventional and unconventional metaphors after Katrin Kohl. The linguistic images listed in the results are presented as examples.31

9.1 Sueddeutsche Newspaper

The results of the evaluation of linguistic images in the online newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung yielded the following figures:

Figure 4: Results Amount Linguistic Pictures - Sueddeutsche.de

It can be seen that the sports journalists attach great importance to the linguistic images and above all to the use of the metaphors. Thus, the analysis found that almost every sentence consisted of several metaphors. To be sure, many of these metaphors were only apparent at the second review, since in this phase attention was paid primarily to the so-called dead metaphors. As a result, the number of metaphors has drastically increased, which suggests that we subconsciously no longer perceive these metaphors, because they have already become so rooted in our general language and we no longer perceive them as conscious metaphors.

31 Listing all linguistic images here in the results would lead to confusion. A complete list of all linguistic images and the articles used can be found in the Appendix. Also, I abstain from the presentation of the results on the reference to the source. All articles in the German and English online newspapers have comparable linguistic images and can therefore be presented according to this principle. The linguistic images, which now follow as examples in the presentation of the results, are written in italics in order to clarify their visibility.

For example, the metaphors are heimzahlen, ausgetanzt, feuerten, verteidigen, erzielte or flankte32 our understanding of football coverage and also anchored in other areas of communication and are considered dead metaphors.

Even the metaphors that have already established themselves as football metaphors in our understanding of the language are no longer recognizable to many as such. So these can already be assigned to the football language and are listed in many dictionaries.33 The metaphors Titelverteidiger, Pflichtspiel, Doppeltorschütze, Außenbahnen, Außenverteidiger, Torjäger or Strafraumgrenze are among the repertoire of sports journalists of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The use of these combined words of several individual words is generally always used.34

Metaphors, which are unconventional metaphors and therefore also visible to the recipient, were visible in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung mainly through the combination of hyperbolas. However, the concatenation of several words could be seen as creative metaphors. The Zerfallsstadium, the geistigen Getränke, the europacupgeschädigten, ein Dutzend Atemzüge, Ladehemmung or the tiefer gehenden Erkenntnisse are listed here as examples.

With the relative frequency of 38 comparisons within the football coverage, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung used an average of 3.8 of these linguistic images to make situations, people or events more comprehensible to the recipient. Most of the comparisons were made between players and other players, previous events or situational moments. In the German languages comparisons make themselves felt by the connection (signal) words als / wie. However, these are also used within other sentences and do not generally count as a signal for comparison.

32 A translation of the German linguistic images is omitted, in order not to change their meaning. 33 It should be noted that here for a diachronic development of football language to examine the football metaphors, which have received an entry in the dictionaries. Certainly, the spectrum of accumulation of football metaphors has evolved over the last fifty years. 34 However, these metaphors are not only part of the football language, but can be assigned to other specialized languages in sports. For example, the title defense is a general term for the fight for the defense of the title of a championship. This is used in many sports, such as Handball, volleyball, boxing, rugby, etc. also used as a technical term to describe the situation.

Figure 5: Comparison Word Amount vs. Metaphors Sueddeutsche.de

This graph makes it clear that while metaphors are often used in the football coverage of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, but compared to the total word use this seems relatively low again. Even the comparison to all linguistic images makes almost no difference here.

Figure 6: Comparison Word Amount vs. Linguistic Pictures Sueddeutsche.de

The fact that no litotes were used in the articles of the Sueddeutsche is surprising, but to draw conclusions from the high amount of metaphors.35

Figure 7: Linguistic Pictures Headline Sueddeutsche.de

In the ten different headlines of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, a total of 15 metaphors, two similes, one hyperbola and again no litotes were used. With a total of 50 words used in the headings, the 18 linguistic images used are almost 1/3 of the total number of words. It can be assumed that the use of linguistic images in the headlines of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung motivates the recipient to read the articles. The journalists emotionalize the headlines.

35 Here it would be interesting to compare the house style guides of the online newspaper. Questions like: Is there a chapter on using linguistic images? Are the guides different with regard to the use of linguistic images? This could lead to further ongoing research work.

Figure 8: Linguistic Pictures Subhead Sueddeutsche.de

The Sueddeutsche Zeitung uses very few subheads in their articles and goes straight to the article. Therefore, a comparison of the linguistic images is not relevant and meaningful. However, it can be said that when a subhead was used, it was also decorated with linguistic images and above all metaphors.

Conclusion Sueddeutsche.de:

The sports journalists of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung use linguistic images in their coverage of the German national team. It can be seen that above all the metaphors find their place in the language usage of the football language and are used. Similes are also used to visualize situations and to refer to background information. The Litotes as a linguistic medium is not used in the reporting of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung and the hyperbola only a little. Many of the metaphors were only visible on the second review of the text corpus, since these metaphors are increasingly the dead metaphors, which are already too deeply rooted in our usage to recognize their area of origin. Even the metaphors, which are already classified in the technical language of football, can be difficult to recognize. However, sports journalists have resorted to unconventional and therefore creative metaphors. This decoration of articles was evident. As has already been pointed out in Chapter three, that linguistic images can also be assigned to areas, I would like to mention here again. The

found linguistic images can be assigned to this area. So it was recognizable that the field of COMBAT, MEDICINE, ART, etc. often stood in the use of linguistic images. The national coach was referred to as a Doktor, the players verteidigten ihre Festung or the shot was kunstvoll in seiner Akrobatik.36

9.2 Bild Newspaper

The evaluation of the linguistic images used in the articles of the Bild newspaper yielded the following result:

Figure 9: Result Amount Linguistic Pictures - Bild.de

Like the Sueddeutsche, the Bild Newspaper uses most of the metaphors as linguistic images. With a total of 728 metaphors in the selected ten articles. Furthermore, there were nine Similes, up to 39 hyperbolas and even three Litotes could be found within the coverage.

The Bild Newspaper uses dead as well as unconventional metaphors and metaphors that can already be assigned to the football department. As dead metaphors were often the nachlegen, the ball into the goal drücken, abschließen, früh stören, abgefeuert, treffsichere, killt or gekämpft etc. on.

With the unconventional metaphors, it is noticeable that the Bild Zeitung combines many descriptive words of several words with a hyphen, resulting in new pictorial areas that the reader can understand. Also here often the clubs are used as such word creations: Bayern-Sorgenkind, BVB-Stars, Dortmund- Bankdrücker, Norwegen-Kasten or Bayern-Verteidiger. But even individual

36 Here is the work of Anna Hermann (2012). She had investigated this area after Monica Fingerhut in an earlier research. With regard to a comparison between English and German reporting, such work does not yet exist and can be expanded on the basis of the present work

53 players are invented with their name to new metaphors: Gomez-Treffer, Jogi- Patient, Müller-Krise, WERNERbar or Sandro Marino (instead of San Marino., Here one is called the player Sandro Wagner). The creativity of the journalists is probably unlimited in the Bild newspaper. Many of these creative metaphors never appeared in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

The football coverage regarding the use of Similes in the Bild newspaper showed that comparisons are not made very often. However, if a comparison has been found in an article, it always refers to the comparison to historical events in the past. So games and their result were compared to the outcome of another game.

The hyperbolas, as well as the metaphors, are word creations consisting of several individual words and combined with a hyphen. In most cases this was the description of an extraordinary gate with the distance from the ball to the gate, e.g. 16-Meter-Kracher. But also Riesenschritt, Spitzen-Auftritt, schlägt eiskalt zu or Traumpass are to be called here as examples of the picture newspaper.

The Litotes (3) were used to make the description of a situation smaller: So the appearance of a player was just a bit arrogant or he was not so accurate.

Figure 10: Comparison Metaphors Vs Words - Bild.de

This graph also shows that while a relatively large number of metaphors are used in football coverage, they appear small compared to all the words in an article, as was the case with the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. However, if we calculate the percentage of the total number and the linguistic images used and take the average, this results in 18.28%. Almost one-fifth of all the words in the Bild newspaper texts are linguistic images.

Figure 11: Linguistic Pictures Headlines Bild.de

From this table, it can be seen that the Bild newspapers also use linguistic images in their headlines to animate the recipient to read the article. Here, too, it becomes clear again that the metaphor with the total number of 14 is one of the most widely used linguistic images. Similes and Litotes find no use in the headlines and only three times the sports journalists from Bild use the hyperbola.

The subheads, however, are very different:

Figure 12: Linguistic Pictures Subhead - Bild.de

The sports journalists use a total of 63 linguistic images within the subheads. As in the headlines, it is mainly the metaphors and in smaller quantities the hyperbolas that are used here. It is noticeable that the use of metaphors in a subhead focuses on 4-6 metaphors. Only with two articles (04.09.17 game against Norway and 08.10.17 game against Azerbaijan), the sports journalists decorated their subheads with eight and even ten metaphors. Again, it can be concluded that especially headlines and subheads should encourage the recipient to continue reading the text.

Conclusion Bild.de

The daily newspaper Bild uses overly metaphors in its coverage of the German national team. Meanwhile, Similes and Litotes are rarely used. The hyperbolas, on the other hand, also like to use the journalists of the Bild to lend even more expression to situations. Reviewing the text corpus of the Bild newspaper in terms of linguistic images was easier since sports journalists use much more unconventional metaphors than the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. By combining several words and only separated by a hyphen, these word creations are immediately visible to each recipient. The Bild newspaper is very creative in dealing with the different areas in which the metaphors and all linguistic images are classified.

However, the daily newspaper also uses the metaphors which can be assigned to the football language and also, as noted above, many dead metaphors, which usually can only be found at the second glance.

9.3 The Telegraph

In this subchapter, we look at the results of the investigation at the online newspaper The Telegraph:

Figure 13: Results Amount Linguistic Pictures - Telegraph.co.uk

As the above table shows, sports journalists use linguistic images in their coverage of the England national team. Clearly recognizable here is the use of the metaphors, followed by the hyperbole and the similes. There were no other negatives except for one litotes. With a total of 1,772 linguistic resources, The Telegraph uses the most linguistic resources in the pure number. However, if one compares this number of words in their articles, it becomes clear that with only an average of 15.73%, the least linguistic pictures are present in the text corpus of the study.

The Telegraph uses a wide range of technical vocabulary in footballing language, as well as conventionalized and unconventional metaphors. The unconventional metaphors are the smallest number of metaphors, which is discussed in more detail in chapter 9.8. However, the journalists also use words such as doom-load headlines, long and rocky road, tie on the knot, dysfunctional bunch, hypnotically slow and pounded grimley on the door.

Most of the linguistic images in the articles of this online newspaper make the jargon as well as the conventionalized metaphors. In the jargon, the sports

journalists use only a few names or clubs in their combination of a metaphor, but they use this many terms of football technical language related to the game, the technical equipment or the framework: defence, captain’s armband, full-back, pitch, ground, penalty, back-pass or opposite wing.

In the conventionalized as well as the dead metaphors, which are already rooted in general language usage, The Telegraph uses words from various fields. Some belong to WAR, MEDICINE, ECONOMY or NATURE. Their origins in the English language are usually unexplainable. These are metaphors such as defeated, representing, created, performances, affected, oldest fixture, pedestrian a fashion or the new lease of life.

Like the German comparisons, the 24 Similes in the articles are those that bring the players, the atmosphere, the story, etc. into context. So […] felt it like a long […], […] felt like this […], […] what seemed like a faint form […] or […] an opponent as poor as Malta […].

The hyperbolas used by the sports journalists are an increase in game situations, the emotionalisation of players and officials or an exaggeration of the atmosphere in the stadium. The atmosphere is brittle fear gripped, there are doom-laden headlines or the last guy is called dodgy-keeper.

1600

1400

1200

1000

800 Metaphors 600 Amount Words 400

200

Figure 14: Comparison Metaphors Vs. Words - Telegraph.co.uk

As Table 14 shows, the length of the article in The Telegraph is fairly consistent. Only one article does not reach the 1000 word mark. In comparison, it can also be seen that the metaphors that are used the most are also used in their quantity uniformly and in the same amount.

Date Headline Metaphor Similes Hyperbole Litotes Slovakia 0 England 1: Adam Lallana's injury-time winner 04.09.2016 gives Sam Allardyce a win in his first game as manager 5 0 0 0 England 2 Malta 0: Dele Alli and Daniel Sturridge secure 08.10.2016 easy win for Gareth Southgate 2 0 0 0 Slovenia 0 England 0: Joe Hart's heroics rescue point for 11.10.2016 struggling visitors 4 0 1 0 England 3 Scotland 0: Sturridge, Lallana and Cahill headers secure win and likely Gareth Southgate's ascension 11.11.2016 4 0 0 0 England 2 Lithuania 0: no problems as Jermain Defoe and 26.03.2017 Jamie Vardy strike to dismiss limited opponents 4 0 0 0 Scotland 2 England 2: Harry Kane to the rescue after Leigh 10.06.2017 Griffiths' late double 2 0 0 0 Malta 0 England 4: Harry Kane double puts gloss on a night 01.09.2017 of toil 3 0 1 0 England 2 Slovakia 1: Marcus Rashford goes from villain to 04.09.2017 hero as hosts edge closer to World Cup 5 0 0 0

England 1 Slovenia 0: Harry Kane confirms World Cup qualification with late goal to rescue dismal performance 05.10.2017 5 0 0 0 Lithuania 0 England 1: Harry Kane delivers again in yet 08.10.2017 another dreary display for Gareth Southgate's strugglers 3 0 1 0 Results 37 0 3 0

Figure 15: Linguistic Pictures Headline - Telegraph.co.uk

With a total of 40, including 37 metaphors initiate the sports journalists of The Telegraph already using linguistic pictures in the article. At first, they refer only to the pure result and the opponent. But then they add between 2-5 linguistic images in the headline. As you can see below, the subheads of the articles are a lot longer than usual and thus contain as many linguistic pictures by the sports journalists.

Date Headline Metaphor Similes Hyperbole Litotes Sixty-nine days since such a brittle fear gripped England that they crashed out of Euro 2016 to Iceland, the doom-laden headlines 04.09.2016 were looming again. 5 0 0 0 It remains a puzzle whether it is more remarkable that 81,781 people will come on a Saturday afternoon to watch the dysfunctional bunch that is the England team play the 176th ranked nation in the world, or that some of them turn up to boo Wayne 08.10.2016 Rooney. 8 0 1 0 Only in a team as dysfunctional as England can you first be the problem and then the solution in the space of 24 hours but as Wayne Rooney came on to try to win this World Cup qualifier with 17 minutes left in Ljubljana he will have recognised a familiar kind of crisis, writes Sam Wallace at the 11.10.2016 Stozice Stadium . 7 0 1 0 England took control of their World Cup qualifying group and Gareth Southgate will 11.11.2016 now, surely, take control as manager. 3 0 0 0 Jermain Defoe claimed his goal, claimed the headlines, and England claimed the points. But although this World Cup qualifier against Lithuania was a stroll it did not mean they had 26.03.2017 to play in quite so pedestrian a fashion. 10 0 0 0

10.06.2017 no subhead 0 0 0 0 These grinding one-way games that make up much of what is World Cup qualification in the modern era are nothing like entertainment, and for the most part they barely constitute a contest, but just when it looked like another underwhelming night for 01.09.2017 England, the goals finally came. 7 0 0 0 Gareth Southgate had called for a team of leaders but this was all about a boy, a teenager, a comeback kid showing great character as Marcus Rashford turned this World Cup qualifier around to leave England on the brink of reaching the finals in Russia 04.09.2017 next year. 9 0 0 0

It takes something quite unusual to qualify for a World Cup finals on a wave of pessimism as icy cold as the one that delivered England to next summer’s tournament in Russia, saved by an injury-time goal from Harry Kane but wracked by the memory of the 93 minutes 05.10.2017 that had preceded it. 10 1 1 0 Pep Guardiola referred to Tottenham Hotspur as “the Harry Kane team” but his phrase is far more •applicable to another side who play in 08.10.2017 white. 3 0 0 0 Results 62 1 3 0

Figure 16: Linguistic Pictures Subhead - Telegraph.co.uk

A total of 66 linguistic pictures are used for the introduction to the recipient in the subheads of the articles. Another interesting point here is that the layering of the text corpus showed that many of the linguistic pictures in the subheading were also used again in the text itself. Sometimes up to three times.

Conclusion Telegraph.co.uk

The sports journalists from the online newspaper Telegraph write by far the longest sports articles on the football coverage of the qualifying matches of the English team. However, they use less linguistic pictures than all other daily papers. Again, it can be seen that the metaphor is the most chosen linguistic image, with the help of which the journalists make the reports more interesting, more relaxed and also more emotional. Surprising is the high number of similes that could be detected in their relative frequency. Another surprising result is the low number of hyperbolas and the fact that litotes are not actually present. The Telegraph uses both the conventionalized as well as the dead and unconventional metaphors. However, the focus here is on the dead and the conventionalized metaphors. Own word additions as it often followed in The Sun are, however, less common in use. It can be seen that sports journalists focus on a pure and interesting, sometimes ironic, choice of metaphors and decorate their articles with them.

9.4 The Sun

Following are the results from the evaluation of the text corpus of The Sun:

Figure 17: Result Amount Linguistic Pictures - Thesun.co.uk

As shown in the table above, the sports journalists at The Sun use a total of 863 linguistic pictures to decorate, emotionalize, or because they are the technical terms of the football language. The metaphor is, as with the other newspapers, the most widely used style in football coverage. Surprising, however, is the number of Similes. Here, the relative frequency of a total of 16 similes was found in The Sun's articles.

The Sun uses both technical terminologies of the professional language football as well as conventionalized and unconventional metaphors. The technical terms are usually the name of the person, the rules, the equipment or players and officials. As with the Bild newspaper, the sports journalists use the combination of the club or the name of a player and bring it in combination with other metaphors: Liverpool defender, Manchester United man, Southgate’s Team, Bank’s show, Rose’s cross or Celtic ace. Other technical terms of football language such as tournament, goal, keeper, striker, post, defender, midfield, have often found a place in the articles.

Also in this article is a large number of so-called dead metaphors to find, which were visible only at the second round, for example: the metaphors like challenge, created, spotted, delivered, wasted, etc. only later be recognized as such.

The Sun also creates new, creative metaphors such as no fox in a box, friendship scarf, heavyweight fighting middleweight, vintage performance or the nightmare scenario. But also exclamations like: Wally with a Brolly blew our chances are high on the creativity scale.

With 16 Similes in their coverage, the journalists usually compare a player to a legend, including Captain Harry Kane as Abel, or another player dressed in Mike Tyson-style. Only one litotes was found in the article.

Figure 18: Comparison Linguistic Pictures Vs. Words - Thesun.co.uk

In this graph, it is striking that the length of the articles varies a lot, and so does the language used. However, it also shows that on average always the same amount of linguistic pictures were used. The second group game against Slovakia shows that this was the article with the most written words and also in this article; the most linguistic pictures were used. The average percentage of all linguistic resources used is 18.17% for The Sun. No phrase goes by without the use of linguistic pictures, usually not deliberately produced by the sports journalists, but using the dead metaphors and those that are already considered natural in our language usage.

Date Headline Metaphor Similes Hyperbole Litotes ADAM AND EVE IT: Slovakia 0 England 1: Adam Lallana snatches last minute winner as Sam Allardyce starts 04.09.2016 England reign with a win 5 0 0 0

England 2 Malta 0 08.10.2016 0 0 0 0 HART STOPPER Joe Hart: England keeper lauded as world class save sees him compared to Three Lions legend 11.10.2016 Gordon Banks 5 1 0 0 Heading to Russia: England 3 Scotland 0: Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill use their heads to slay the 11.11.2016 Auld Enemy on home soil 5 0 0 0 TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE:Gareth Southgate reveals returning England hero Jermain Defoe has fired his way into 26.03.2017 contention for 2018 World Cup after Lithuania goal 8 0 0 0

KANE IS ABLE: Scotland 2 England 2: Harry Kane’s stoppage 10.06.2017 time volley saves England from shock defeat to Scots 5 0 0 0

MALTA 0 ENGLAND 4: Harry Kane’s double, Ryan Bertrand 01.09.2017 and Danny Welbeck fire Three Lions to victory in Malta 4 0 0 0 England 2 Slovakia 1: Goals from Marcus Rashford and Eric Dier gift Gareth Southgate vital three points in Group F 04.09.2017 4 0 0 0 SLO BURNER: England 1 Slovenia 0: Harry Kane grabs late winner as Three Lions book World Cup spot at Russia 2018 05.10.2017 6 0 0 0

Snoozefest: Lithuania 0 England 1: Harry Kane scores from the penalty spot but Gareth Southgate’s young Three Lions side fail to impress in rain-soaked Vilnius 08.10.2017 6 0 1 0

Figure 19: Linguistic Pictures Headline - TheSun.co.uk

Mostly The Sun uses between four and eight metaphors in its headline, but this is not the case for one article with only the title of the game and the final score. In the case of the headlines, the sports journalists are primarily referring to the technical languages of football and unconventional metaphors.

Date Subhead Metaphor Similes Hyperbole Litotes Liverpool star drills home his first goal for Three Lions in stoppage time against ten- 04.09.2016 man Slovaks 6 0 0 0 GARETH SOUTHGATE’s first game as England boss passed with a hitch as the Three Lions 08.10.2016 easily brushed aside Malta at Wembley. 5 0 0 0 Manchester City keeper, on loan at Torino, makes a string of stunning saves as Gareth 11.10.2016 Southgate's men struggled in Ljubljana 5 0 1 0 Gareth Southgate's Three Lions romped to a stunning home victory to edge them closer to 11.11.2016 World Cup qualification 5 0 1 0 Three Lions boss said: "If he scores like he is in the Premier League there's no reason why 26.03.2017 he wouldn't be" 4 1 0 0 Kane fired home two minutes into injury time as Three Lions scramble a draw after Leigh Griffiths' stunning free-kick double put 10.06.2017 Scotland on the verge of victory 7 0 1 0 Tottenham striker bags twice as Southampton defender and Arsenal ace net in second half to move Gareth Southgate's Three Lions 01.09.2017 closer to World Cup qualification 8 0 0 0 The Three Lions fell behind to an early goal from Stanislav Lobotka, but England rallied 04.09.2017 back at Wembley in the World Cup qualifier 5 0 0 0 Kane stabs in superb Kyle Walker cross in injury time to put gloss on drab display from 05.10.2017 Gareth Southgate's men at Wembley 7 0 1 0 It was another dross showing by England who ended their World Cup qualification campaign unbeaten. Gareth Southgate opted to pick one of the youngest teams ever with the 08.10.2017 average age of just over 24. 7 0 0 0

Figure 20: Linguistic Pictures Subhead - TheSun.co.uk

With a total of 59 metaphors, sports journalists use most of this linguistic tool to initiate an article. But also the comparisons and a small number of hyperbolas find their place. The Litotes is not used, as it is rarely used on The Sun and therefore does not surprise this result. What is surprising is the almost equal number of metaphors in both the headlines and the subheads of the articles. This is a difference compared to the German newspapers, but perhaps it can be explained by the fact that the headlines of The Sun are much larger in terms of their number of words and thus provide more space for further linguistic metaphors.

Conclusion Thesun.co.uk

The Sun newspaper sports journalists use an average of 18% of linguistic pictures in their articles. Both the technical language of football as well as conventionalized metaphors, dead metaphors and also extremely creative metaphors are used here. The combination of several metaphors and thus also word new formations which are not used in dictionaries are often used here. The review of the text corpus was at first glance quite easy because just those creative metaphors of a non-native speaker also immediately catch the eye. However, with the dead metaphors which should have already rooted itself with the recipient, I had troubles. The roots did not take place here and therefore a thorough second look into the data was indispensable in order to find the metaphors that are no longer recognized as such in everyday language. The Sun uses almost no Litotes, hyperbolas are not as often as thought before and also the Similes are expendable here. The visual clarification of a game makes up for the newspaper, especially through the use of multiple creative metaphors within a sentence and creates here also new creations.

9.5 Comparison: Sueddeutsche Newspaper and Bild Newspaper

Below is the comparison between the German online newspapers Sueddeutsche and Bild.

Figure 21: Comparison Sueddeutsche Vs. Bild

As shown in the table, three factors are needed for a direct comparison. On the one hand, the length of the article in general, the number of linguistic images and the average percentage of these linguistic images. The table shows that the Bild newspaper compared to the Sueddeutsche wrote just under 2,500 words less about the German national team than the Sueddeutsche. Here, the focus was as

already mentioned above in the Bild newspaper mainly on the visual reporting through images. These were not taken into account in this work and showed no change in the results. The number of linguistic images of the Bild newspaper gives us a surprising result. As assumed at the beginning of the investigation, I thought that tabloids, in particular, use an exaggeration in the language of sports reporting, but they use relatively little with the average of 18.28%. The Sueddeutsche, in turn, is the leader in the implementation of linguistic images in the context of football coverage with an incredible 20.72%. This is mainly the conventionalized metaphors and the football language used in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The quantitative distribution of unconventional metaphors is described in more detail in Chapter 9.9. There it also becomes clear that the Bild newspaper puts more emphasis on creativity than on dead metaphors and the technical language.

9.6 Comparison: The Telegraph and The Sun

In the investigation of the English online newspaper, the comparison shows a similar but also completely different picture, as compared to the German newspapers:

Figure 22: Comparison The Sun Vs. The Telegraph

Even the tabloid The Sun has written far less words than the Telegraph on the England team during their qualifying campaign. Also, the number of linguistic means is scarcely 1000 times less than with the Telegraph. For example, the sports journalists in the daily newspapers should use more linguistic images than the tabloid, but the percentage average shows that The Telegraph uses by far the least linguistic means. This suggests that local journalists place more emphasis on objective football coverage than journalists at The Sun.

9.7 Comparison: England Vs. Germany

Figure 23: England Vs. Germany Word Amount

The English online newspapers have in direct comparison with the German a higher number of words in their articles. The Telegraph writes the longest articles on football coverage while the German tabloid Bild writes the least. Comparing the newspaper to the tabloids, The Telegraph and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung write more than their national competitors. This suggests that the place which sports coverage in the online newspapers is higher in the newspapers than in the tabloids.37

37 Here would offer another study, which includes the focus on the number of articles on the day. Since my work is focused only on the report of the game, other articles were not included.

Figure 24: England Vs. Germany Linguistic Pictures

In a comparison of linguistic images, the English daily newspaper The Telegraph uses the most linguistic images, closely followed by the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The tabloids The Sun and Bild are on the same footing as the newspapers. This suggests that the number of linguistic images in context is related to the length of the articles, but also that the newspapers place more emphasis on the use of linguistic images. The least linguistic images put the sports journalists in the Bild newspaper in their articles.

Figure 25: England Vs. Germany Average Percentage

Surprising in this graph is The Telegraph, which writes the longest articles and uses most linguistic images but is using the smallest percentage of linguistic images. With only 15,73% used linguistic images, this can conclude in comparison to the length of the article that the use of these makes no high priority in the reporting, or the dead metaphors were not all obvious. The Sueddeutsche Zeitung, on the other hand, decorates the articles with 20.72% of linguistic means. The tabloids The Sun and Bild have a similar share in the use and implementation of linguistic means.

9.8 Creative use of linguistic images

Figure 26: Creative distribution Linguistic Images

As the table shows, the percentage of all unconventional and therefore creative metaphors in the use of sports coverage is very low.38 Furthermore, the difference between the two German online newspapers Sueddeutsche and Bild is much larger than the English. The Sueddeutsche Zeitung uses only 9.02% creative metaphors in its sports coverage while the Bild implements significantly more (17.46%). The difference is not so great in English daily newspapers, but you can still see that both tabloids use more creative metaphors than the newspapers in the nation. From this, it can be concluded that newspapers rely on an objective and distanced style of writing. Conventionalized and dead metaphors are excluded. Moreover, it is a surprise that the Sueddeutsche Zeitung uses most of the linguistic images in the comparison, but uses least of the creative metaphors.

38 Only the percentage approach of the creative metaphors was calculated, since the technical language football has already become a common language and thus many conventionalized metaphors can no longer be distinguished from them.

Examples of unconventional Metaphors Sueddeutsche.de:39

 Er wuchtete den Ball  Der Ball kullerte  Zwischen Akrobatik und Splapstick  Quäntchen Glück  Cheffig [2]  Er unkte  Nichts abfärben  Trudelte vorbei  Winzigkeit Glück  Papierform emanzipierte  Tanzt im Regen  Fehler ausbügeln  Urlaub buchen  Albträume  Buchungsbestätigung  König [2]  Thron [2]  Etc.

Examples of unconventional Metaphors Bild.de:

 Blitzsauber  Flotter Kick  Bayern-Sorgenkind  Jogi-Patient  Pudelwohl  WM-Grinsen  Tor-Hunger  25-Meter-Knaller  Müller müllert wieder  Eiskalt  Michelin-Männchen  Tor-Frustbewältigung

39 Translation is not required for the individual metaphors so that they do not lose their effect.

 Wegballern  WERNERbar!  Hirnlos-Hools  Trubo-Tempo  Etc.

Examples of unconventional Metaphors Telegraph.co.uk:

 Brittle fear gripped  Dodgy keeper  Doom-laden headlines  Tie on the road  Handed a lucky coin  Fashioned the chance  Turned the screw  Hypnotically slow  On the wane  Angels  Mess post-Sam  Go cold turkey  Prey on England’s nervs  Corridor of uncertainty  Roll of drums

Examples of unconventional Metaphors Thesun.co.uk:

 Stole the show  Adam and Eve  Body is in pieces  No fox in a box  Public laughing stock  Kane is Able  Friendship scarf  Added the gloss  Provided the spark  Flicking the sweetest  Wally with a Brally blew our chances

10. Conclusion and Outlook

As the empirical research has shown, linguistic images are used in football coverage. The categorization of metaphors into conventionalized and unconventional metaphors proved to be consistent and helpful. Most text corpus notes had both conventionalized and unconventional metaphors in varying amount. We were also able to see some metaphors that have been able to establish themselves in dictionaries over the past decades. These expressions are now part of the football language, but their origin is from a different area and must, therefore, continue to be regarded as metaphors. The few similes that emerged from the text corpus do not exclude a combination with the metaphors, which is why a separation of both or the consideration of just one phenomenon does not make sense.

The revision of the English texts proved to be problematic since it is precisely the rooted dead metaphors that are no longer apparent. Here, however, I could fall back on an English-German dictionary. With which I was trying to decode these areas of origin as well. Furthermore, the introduction of metaphors in conventionalized, unconventional and technical language was not always immediately obvious.

Due to the overlapping of the metaphors into several regions of origin, some metaphors could be assigned to several categories. Therefore, they were also listed twice or more in the analysis.

Although the results thus obtained do not completely represent the actual quantitative and creative distribution of linguistic images within the football coverage, they are nevertheless suitable for trend statements.

Both German and English sports journalists use linguistic images to provide their articles with it. The differences can be seen between the nations as well as between tabloid and newspaper. However, the length of an article with the linguistic images used must always be contextual and considered separately.

Since the reviewed reports were available at least three hours (one exception) after the end of the game, sports journalists were able to choose their words wisely. They were not situational as it might be the case with a live coverage. This investigation could thus be connected to the present work. The conceptualization of metaphors and their attribution to them, as Lakoff / Johnson (2008) has already described, would be an interesting research opportunity. The areas addressed by the authors, such as WAR, COMBAT, TECHNOLOGY, MEDICINE, NATURE, etc. serve as an orientation

72 for the classification of linguistic images. Since the linguistic images also focused on the headlines and subheads, but due to the amount of research the images and captions could not be included, this would also be possible as an execution of the present work.

In order to create a certain image with the reader, an attempt is made to deliberately evoke this by means of the language. Especially the creative linguistic images are better suited for this since the lexicalized ones are usually no longer recognizable as such. Whether the percentage approach of creative metaphors in the online newspapers examined here is sufficient, every sports journalist and fan must decide for themselves. Generally, it can be said that creative metaphors are used both in England and in Germany. And it can also be said that a writing style without metaphors, whether creative or lexicalized, is no longer possible since many of the linguistic images are anchored in our language and we use them every day. The only question is whether a further exaggeration of these creative metaphors would not ultimately lead to clichés and if this then fulfils the purpose of football coverage. The excessive use of metaphors can lead to clichés and the "adjective had become a passenger." (Evans, 2000. p. 63)

As such, this paper not only provides results on the quantitative and creative use of linguistic imagery in online newspapers but also serves as a starting point for further investigation.

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SZ.de (11.11.2016). Fußball Gnabry tanzt im Regen. Available at: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/fussball-gnabry-tanzt-im-regen-1.3246706. (Accessed: 17. May 2018)

SZ.de (26.3.17). “Schon ein paar Nachlässigkeiten“. Available at: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/wm-qualifikation-deutschland-gewaehrt-fuenf-minuten- hoffnung-1.3437908. (Accessed: 17. May 2018)

Fischer, S. (SZ.de) (10.06.2017). Wie ein König auf dem Thron. Available at: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/deutschlands-gegen-san-marino-wie-ein-koenig-auf- dem-thron-1.3541092. (Accessed: 17. May 2017)

Kneer. C. (SZ.de) (01.09.17). Der einsame Kampf des Mats Hummels. Available at: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/wm-qualifikation-der-einsame-kampf-des-mats-hummels- 1.3650477. (Accessed: 17. May 2017)

Knuth, J. (SZ.de) (04.09.17). Löw wählt den Feinschmecker-Fußball. Available at: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/dfb-elf-loew-waehlt-den-feinschmecker-fussball- 1.3653418. (Accessed: 17. May 2018)

Selldorf, P. (SZ.de) (05.10.17). Löw päppelt seine Nationalspieler auf. Available at: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/wm-qualifikation-loew-paeppelt-seine-nationalspieler-auf- 1.3696547. (Accessed: 17. May 2017)

Selldorf, P. (SZ.de) (08.10.17). Zehn von zehn – besser geht’s nicht. Available at: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/sport/wm-qualifikation-zehn-von-zehn-besser-gehts-nicht- 1.3700354. (Accessed: 17. May 2017)

Bild.de (04.09.16). Doppelpack! Endlich müllert Müller wieder. Available at: https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/nationalmannschaft/endlich-muellert-mueller-wieder- 47662986.bild.html. (Accessed: 18. May 2017

Sonnberger, M., Kynast, C., Niedderer, H., Detering, T., Weiler, J., Brosda, D. (Bild.de) (08.10.17). Müller ballert, Jogi zaubert. Available at: https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/fifa- wm-2018/mueller-ballert-jogi-zaubert-48201254.bild.html. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Bilde.de (11.10.16). Jogi hat schon das WM-Grinsen. Available at: https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/fifa-wm-2018/jogi-hat-schon-das-wm-grinsen- 48244508.bild.html. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Bild.de (11.11.16). Drei Tore! Gnabry zeigt’s den Großen. Available at: https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/fifa-wm-2018/gnabry-zeigt-es-den-grossen- 48719422.bild.html. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Markus, M., Detering, T., Leihkamm, M. (Bild.de) (26.03.17). JOGI TUT ALLEN GUT. Available at: https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/fifa-wm-2018/tor-therapie-fuer-schuerrle-und- mueller-51017308.bild.html. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Markus, M., Niedderer, H., Detering, T. (Bild.de) (10.06.17). 7:0! Debütanten-Ballern gegen San Marino. Available at: https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/fifa-wm-2018/spielbericht- deutschland-san-marino-52132844.bild.html. (Accessed: 18. May 2017)

Markus, M., Niedderer, H., Detering, T. (Bild.de) (01.09.17) Deutsche Fans pöbeln gegen Tor-Werner. Available at: https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/timo-werner/poebeln-gegen-tor- werner-53075460.bild.html. (Accessed: 18. May 2017)

Markus, M., Niedderer, H., Detering, T. and Brosda, D. (Bild.de) (04.09.17). Das war einfach WERNERbar!. Available at: https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/fussball-wm- qualifikation2018/sieg-gegen-norwegen-das-war-einfach-wernerbar-53102068.bild.html. (Accessed: 18. May 2017)

Bild.de (05.10.2017). 3:1! Rudi rummst uns nach Russland. Available at: https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/fifa-wm-2018/nordirland-deutschland-53438270.bild.html. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Bild.de (09.10.17). Hacke, Spitze, Weltrekord!. Available at: https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/fussball-wm-qualifikation2018/spielbericht-deutschland- aserbaidschan-53469812.bild.html. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Burt, J. (Telegraph.co.uk) (04.09.16). Slovakia 0 England 1: Adam Lallana's injury-time winner gives Sam Allardyce a win in his first game as manager. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/09/04/slovakia-vs-england-live-score-and- goal-updates-from-world-cup-q/. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Wallace, S. (Telegraph.co.uk) (08.10.16). England 2 Malta 0: Dele Alli and Daniel Sturridge secure easy win for Gareth Southgate. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/10/08/england-vs-malta-world-cup-2018-qualifier- live/. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Wallace, S. (Telegraph.co.uk) (11.10.16). Slovenia 0 England 0: Joe Hart's heroics rescue point for struggling visitors. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/10/11/slovenia-vs-england-world-cup-qualifier-live/. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Burt. J. (Telegraph.co.uk) (11.11.16). England 3 Scotland 0: Sturridge, Lallana and Cahill headers secure win and likely Gareth Southgate's ascension. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/11/11/england-vs-scotland---world-cup-qualifier- live/. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Burt, J. (Telegraph.co.uk) (26.03.17). England 2 Lithuania 0: no problems as Jermain Defoe and Jamie Vardy strike to dismiss limited opponents. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/03/26/england-vs-lithuania-world-cup-qualifier- watch-live-score-updates/. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Wallace, S. (Telegraph.co.uk) (10.06.17). Scotland 2 England 2: Harry Kane to the rescue after Leigh Griffiths' late double. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/06/10/scotland-vs-england-live-score-updates- world-cup-qualifier/. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Wallace, S. (Telegraph.co.uk) (01.09.17). Malta 0 England 4: Harry Kane double puts gloss on a night of toil. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/09/01/malta-vs- england-world-cup-2018-qualifier-live-score-updates/. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Burt, J. (Telegraph.co.uk) (04.09.17). England 2 Slovakia 1: Marcus Rashford goes from villain to hero as hosts edge closer to World Cup. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/09/04/england-vs-slovakia-world-cup-2018- qualifier-live-score-updates/. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Wallace, S. (Telegraph.co.uk) (05.10.17). England 1 Slovenia 0: Harry Kane confirms World Cup qualification with late goal to rescue dismal performance. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/10/05/england-vs-slovenia-previewteam-news- injuries-suspensions/. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Burt, J. (Telegraph.co.uk) (08.10.17). Lithuania 0 England 1: Harry Kane delivers again in yet another dreary display for Gareth Southgate's strugglers. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/10/08/lithuania-vs-england-world-cup-qualifier-live- score-updates/. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Duncan, W. (thesun.co.uk) (04.09.16). ADAM AND EVE IT:Slovakia 0 England 1: Adam Lallana snatches last minute winner as Sam Allardyce starts England reign with a win. Available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/world-cup-2018/1725109/slovakia-0-england-1-adam- lallana-snatches-last-minute-winner-as-sam-allardyce-starts-england-reign-with-a-win/. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Haughton, W., Sheridan, J. (thesun.co.uk) (08.10.16). Enland 2 Malta 0. Available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/app/1938095/england-2-malta-0/. (Accessed: 19. May 2018)

Wyett, C., Sheen, T. (thesun.co.uk) (11.10.16). HART STOPPER Joe Hart: England keeper lauded as world class save sees him compared to Three Lions legend Gordon Banks. Available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/1957123/joe-hart-england-keeper- lauded-after-world-class-performance-keeps-three-lions-in-the-game-against-slovenia/. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Wright, D., Gannon, T. (thesun.co.uk) (11.11.16). HEADING TO RUSSIA: England 3 Scotland 0: Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill use their heads to slay the Auld Enemy on home soil. Available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/2168130/england- 3-scotland-0-daniel-sturridge-adam-lallana-and-gary-cahill-use-their-heads-to-slay-the-auld- enemy-on-home-soil/. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Downes Jr., W. (thesund.co.uk) (26.03.17). TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE: Gareth Southgate reveals returning England hero Jermain Defoe has fired his way into contention for 2018 World Cup after Lithuania goal. Available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/3184673/jermain-defoe-england-squad-world-cup- 2018-gareth-southgate/. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Wyett, C., Wright, D. (thesun.co.uk) (10.06.17). KANE IS ABLE: Scotland 2 England 2: Harry Kane’s stoppage time volley saves England from shock defeat to Scots. Available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/3770294/scotland-2-england-2-leigh-griffiths/. (Accessed: 18. May 2018)

Stonehouse, G. (thesun.co.uk) (01.09.17). MALTA 0 ENGLAND 4: Harry Kane’s double, Ryan Bertrand and Danny Welbeck fire Three Lions to victory in Malta. Available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4374360/malta-0-england-4-world-cup-qualifier- match-report/. (Accessed: 19. May 2018)

Ashton, N., Lambourne, J. (thesun.co.uk) (04.09.2017). England 2 Slovakia 1: Goals from Marcus Rashford and Eric Dier gift Gareth Southgate vital three points in Group F. Available

80 at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4391523/england-2-slovakia-1-marcus-rashford- makes-amends/. (Accessed: 19. May 2018)

Wyett, C. (thesun.co.uk) (05.10.17). SLO BURNER: England 1 Slovenia 0: Harry Kane grabs late winner as Three Lions book World Cup spot at Russia 2018. Available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4622475/england-1-slovenia-0-harry-kane-world-cup- 2018-russia/. (Accessed: 19. May 2018)

Ashton, N. (thesun.co.uk) (08.10.17). Snoozefest: Lithuania 0 England 1: Harry Kane scores from the penalty spot but Gareth Southgate’s young Three Lions side fail to impress in rain- soaked Vilnius. Available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4639550/lithuania-0- england-1-harry-kane-scores-penalty-spot-gareth-southgates-young-three-lions-fail-impress/. (Accessed: 19. May 2018)

Appendices

Appendix I: Linguistic Pictures Sueddeutsche.de Listing Metaphors Listing Metaphors Listing Similes 08.10.16 04.09.16 10.06.17 trifft König [2] Kroos entscheidet cheffig Mission Thron [2] ...jubelten ziemlich laut als hätten sie wirklich lange keinen Grund… Titelverteidigung Pferdeschwanz DFB-Elf [4] Bild [2] Listing Similes 11.10.16 siegt Stürmer [3] …spielte so ästhetisch wie in Frankreich. Auftakt historischen [2] …so viel Spaß gemacht wie jenes gegen die … WM-Quali Moment [2] …diesmal ungestreifter durch die Qualifikation zu kommen als vor der WM Bayern-Stürmer Flanke …in einer anderen Welt zu Hause als die Nordiren. überwindet getaucht …das nur ein Tor höher ausfiel als in Paris. Ladehemmung gesprungen Nationaltrikot Flugkopfball Listing Similes 11.11.16 plumpste [2] Nationalspieler Besser als Brasilien wolle man sein… Rasen [3] Torschütze Besser als Brasilien. Ball [7] Deutschen Fußball-Bund San Marino war nicht besser als Brasilien [2] kullerte [2] Kameras Fußballspieler schubste Listing Similes 26.03.17 wuchtete Abwehrchef …wie in der 19. Minute, als die Deutschen… Fallen reckte Tor [9] Hände [2] Listing Similes 10.06.17 geschossen Luft …mehr nach vorne getaucht als gesprungen… Bundesliga-Spiel lehnte …mehr Tore für den DFB geschossen hat als, zum Beispiel… Europameisterschaft [2] deutsche Wie ein König auf dem Thron Nationalmannschaft Nationalmannschaft Sieg …wie ein König auf seinem Thron Pflichtspiel Spiel [8] Partie [4] WM-Qualifikation Listing Similes 01.09.17 Qualifikation Fußballhistorie …verdiente Männer wie Julian Draxler … Weltmeisterschaft Tore [2] …Elf sah aus wie ein Mix aus …. Serie schoss …spielten dann auch wie ein Mix aus… demonstrieren DFB [2] … so angeordnet, wie er das gerne …. kunstvoll geschossen …doch ein paar Symmetriestifter wie Khedira… Akrobatik [2] Ende [3] …Respektsperson wie der ebenfalls … Slapstick [2] Fokus [2] …wunderten sie sich selbst, wie unfallfrei…

82 pendelte Offensive [2] …so viele Ballverluste gesehen haben wie bei keiner … leitete Debatten souveränen Sieg sommerlichen Listing Similes 04.09.17 Mannschaft [3] Auftritt …eines betörender als das andere …. gewann begleitet …hatte es den Anschein, als sei im Spielgerät… ungefährdet verstecken …Rune Jarstein von Hertha BSC als Leidtragenden. erzielte [2] bedeckte …schwer Genießbares kocht. Wie gegen Tschechien. unaufgeregter kurzzeitig Wie ein Boxer, der den frühen Knockout sucht. [2] erfolgreicher riesige Projekt Deutschlandfahne Listing Similes 05.10.17 WM-Titelverteidigung Fan-Club …aussehen ließ wie das Erledigen einer … tiefer gehende Haupttribüne [2] … mehr Zuversicht als je zuvor… Erkenntnisse Gegner [2] verstaut …dient dabei nicht nur als Mittel … schreckhaft zahlreichen …jedoch nicht länger als ein …. vorsichtig Schalensitze überfordert Stadion Listing Similes 08.10.17 Auswärtsspiel sichtbar Wie ein Lehrer schwenkte er… Doppeltorschütze Zuschauer …eher drohend als bloß mahnend… Weltmeister [2] Bürgermeister Professionelle Ordnungshüter wie Toni Kroos… Startelf [2] wütenden Bundestrainer [3] Interviews Listing Hyperbole 04.09.16 Länderspiel Zuschauerinteresse so kunstvoll zwischen Akrobatik und Slapstick Statistik Plakat souveräner Sieg gleichgezogen Sichtweite tiefer gehende Erkenntnisse betreute Bundestrainer [2] hochwertige Szenen Spiele [3] Seite mitunter auch fantasievoll routinierte Ansicht ziemlich scharf vertraute deutschen Kaders ausgesprochen abgeklärt bekannte Angriffe Personal flankte [2] Listing Hyperbole 11.10.16 Außenverteidiger Rande spielte ästhetisch beherrschte Fünfmeterraums locker-lässigen 2x Positionen Stammspieler gehalten fehlen Listing Hyperbole 11.11.16 Vergleich Fußball-Liebhaberin bedauernswerten Menschen Schwierigkeiten Protestnote abenteuerlichen Varianten hochwertige untermalt enttäuschend konservativ Szenen gelaunt naturgemäß überforderten

Strafraum [3] Smiley passten perfekt erspielen Chef extrem defensiv begleiteten traf [3] extrem offensiv Sicherheitsabstand Partie coolem Heber verteidigten Gäste massive Verwirrung positionierten Desinteresse verwerflich halten Außenbahnen Organisationskomitee anspruchsvollen Direktabnahme Team Entscheidung bahnbrechenden Erkenntnisse kombinierte missfällt sauste nach Herzenslust flankte [2] Spieler [3] Seite angepfiffen Listing Hyperbole 26.03.17 Pfosten Gedanken hoch belastete passte Aufgebot höchster Not aufgerückten Mittellinie makellose Führung Innenverteidiger sportliche Erkenntnis hoch überlegen gegrätschten Ergebnis rührende Treue Schuss auserkoren blitzgeschwinden Gegenangriff wehrte ab Lust gnadenlos durchziehen Bewegungsablauf Fans [2] gnadenlose Qualifikation traf singen [2] Quäntchen Glück pausenlos Listing Hyperbole 10.06.17 Torjäger lauerte maximal vorhersehbaren Saison rangelte Abwehraktion wuselte Listing Hyperbole 01.09.17 schoss klatschte aufs Harmonischste verband Strafraumgrenze Runde hübsche Vorlage scharf Fußball sehr offensiv DFB-Kapitän traditionell sehr mutig Mitspieler Wortführern hoch flexibel erspielten Mannschaft beeindruckende Kombination herausgeeilten gebührendes derart anspruchsvoller Spielplan klärte Privileg scheiterte begeisterungswilligen Listing Hyperbole 04.09.17 Kopfball La-Ola-Welle heitere Fußnote Pause Freistoß unerhörten Reichtum leitete Kopf prächtig gelang Zuspiel trafen hundertprozentige Mannschaftsleistung abgeklärt Pause Länderspieltor Flügelstürmer Listing Hyperbole 05.10.17 Halbzeit Sache erfolgreich verteidigen verschanzte verlesen traumhaften Tor Gastgeber Nachname ein Dutzend Atemzüge Offensivaktionen Aufstellung ehrgeizig engagierten Angriffe Mund stolzgeschwellt Mittellinie Zuschauer dominierten nach Hause Listing Hyperbole 08.10.17

Gäste Pfosten ausdrücklich ab(sehen) gegnerischen Chance äußerst abwechslungsreich Spielfeldhälfte Torvorlage Feldspieler sprang zurückziehen lenkte verstellen Ball Passwege Innenpfosten spielte Kopfball ungestört Halbfeld Listing Metaphors 01.09.17 traf einsame [2] EM-Halbfinale Kampf [2] verwaltete Konkurrenzkampf [2] Elf Amtszeit Ergebnis historischer eingewechselte Satz [2] Abschluss Geschäfte Dribbling Wunder Flanke Getuschel Treffer Branche Helden [2] Listing Metaphors entzogen 08.10.16 cheffig 2x Debatte angeflogen elegant profan Verletzung reichlich kunstvoll Trainingsrückstand Hacke aus der Luft spielten [5] johlte Pflichtspiel minimale Verstimmung Nationalmannschaft erfolglosen Saison [2] unkte Aufstellung nichts abfärben 3x WM-Qualispiel Nationalelf 3x Statement gastiert Moment Hackentrick Grund war trefflich anzugreifen überforderten Gegner Elf [5] Qualifikationsrunde Bank [3] Auftaktsieg saßen maximale Punktausbeute vertraute Spitze der Tabelle Confed-Cup Entdeckung gute Zwischenbilanz Zeiten [5] ausgebaut werden Mix [2] unermüdlich 2x geplant

85 auf Tore drängen 2x verlor personelle Rätsel optimistisch Rätselchen aufgestellte EM-erprobtes Linie Mittelfeldduo Kopfballtores [2] Umkehrschluss 2:1-Sieg Rückkehrer Sieg [2] Bank DFB-Elf [2] steilen Aufstieg Qualifikation Lieblingsspieler gespielt Sturm zufrieden einzige Spitze schwer gemacht verletzungsbedingt Aktionen Flankiert Einerkette [2] wirbelte Harmonischste passgenau verbande Verblüffung Ball Angriff Vorlage Querpass Gäste durchlaufen verwandelte trocken zur Führung Feld Führung Spiele Tabellenletzten Team jubelten angeordnet Löws Elf Gegner [2] Gramm Dreierabwehr geschossen formiert Partie 3x Außen deutsche Elf Seite Ertrag erwirtschaften komponiert vorbeizielte Nominierung knapp am Pfosten Offensivspieler Schuss Abwehrkette parierte Abwehr höchster Not Spiel [2] überlupfte Versuchsanordnung trudelte vorbei Außenverteidiger [2] Anpfiff 3x einschalten [2] auf den Plan Fachsprache Chef Außenstürmer verbesserungswürdigen Innenverteidiger chancenauswertung Defensiv [5] Sechzehner verteidigt [2] servieren offensiv [2] jagte flexibel Flachschuss Kombination

Netz Spielplan Bahnen gedrückt Spielern Flankenpass ausgeführt eingewechselte Sicherheit scheiterte suchen wogte Symmetriestifter Anhänger Respektsperson Offensivsprit Mischung einnetzte Tormöglichkeiten unfallfrei Listing Metaphors Mittelfeld [2] 11.10.16 ungestreifter Zentrum Aufstellung Autorität rührenden kämpfte Ernsthaftigkeit Dreiermittelfeld Startelf Gewissen angeschlagenen Ballverluste Rückkehrer Nationalelf verschnaufen Reaktionen [2] Überlegenheit 2x gezwungen [2] Ernst 2X Rest DFB-Elf 6x Hälfte [2] zu überlegen technisch zu liefern Mannschaft [2] Zwischenstand zahlreiche Torschuss-Statistik Positionswechsel Torschüsse Struktur Duell Bild zu vermeiden mitspielt EM-Vorrundenspiel Ballbesitz Konto Torschussstatistik Zeitpunkt 2x wechselte [2] führte 2x Abwehrspieler zu niedrig Kontrolle fügte sich Torchancen Pflichtspiel Widerstand Winzigkeit Geduld Rückraumtor Schuss Beleg abfälschen Flow dominant Niederlage Welt vermeiden zu Hause roch Listing Metaphor 04.09.17 verlängerte wählt

Kopf Feinschmecker-Fußball flankte Abwehrspieler Eckball fröhlichen Treiben tippte Rasen Standardsituation teilhaben Treffer Tore [4] Trend gefallen ästhetisch WM-Qualifikationsübung entscheidender Moment betörender zwingender fühlte locker-lässigen berufen Löws-Elf Bewerbung Gruppe Treffer [2] mühelos hinterlegen bilanzierte geschickt anstellen Versuchsanordnung abschirmen Abwehr Gegenspieler entblößt Flanke Räume 2x einleiten zugemacht Richtung Aufgaben Pfosten kassiert strich vorbei Taktik torreichen berühmten heitere Diagonalschläge Fußnote Pass 4x Einlage Schlampigkeit Strafraum [2] einschlichen Gefahr Angreifer Nationalelf Statistiker heraufbeschwor legendären gefordert Ziel Partie [2] Standards rumpeligen einstudierte kontrollieren zahlreiche Kollegen hochheiligen Auftrag sachkundig schlugen [2] zusammenfasste überfordert Vergnügen Sieg Anfangsphase Spiel [3] ignorierten Zutritt Gegner 2x WM Reputation gewann kampfstark 2x Zähler kombinierte ausstehend Verteidiger Wellness

Kopfball Gemüt Spielverderber Dienstreise frecher Mensch losgelegt Spiellaune Spielweise Kombination dankbaren Torwart 2x Gegner tapferer Räume fasziniert Bundestrainer verlagerte assistierte weiterleitete Spaß Deckung Schönheit Strafraum Fußball [2] Freistoß Vergleich Elfmeter lauwarmen überlegen Vortrag verteidigen gewechselt kontern herausrücken ernsthaft Startelf Reihe abschaffen wackelige Listing Metaphors Dreierkette 11.11.16 tanzt im Regen komponierte Debütant Viererreihe glänzt Zentrum [2] Treffern Flügeln Gegner [8] wachten WM-Qualifikationsspiel Sechser Nationalmannschaft Statik DFB-Elf [4] verleihen Gastgeber [4] profitieren unterschätzt Zulieferer unbezwingbar Offensive bedauernswerten Spitze [2] Aufstellungs-Grafiken Formation herzustellen Summe Bundestrainer [2] Wettstube Elf getragen Einschätzung verwaltet Schema unerhörten Spieler Reichtum Abwehr [2] hochbegabtem Flügel Personal stapelten kombiniert Tor Tücke erzielen [2] Überfluss

89 schickte [2] edlen Torschützen [2] Zutaten taktische Formation Genießbares Papierform emanzipierte kocht Innenverteidiger [2] Kreation Dreierkette Feinschmecker gemessen Boxer [2] abenteuerlichen Knock-Out [2] Varianten sucht auf den ersten Blick Spielaufbau Kleinsten der Kleinen strebsamer Führung ziviler Qualifikationstabelle Expeditionen behaupten Hälfte [2] Ziel [2] unternahm unterlagen Flanken herumgesprochen diagonal verfehlte [2] zentrale Weltrangliste auseinanderziehen Schluss Ball [6] seriös abhandenkam Debüt Anschein schob sich Spielgerät-Magnet zentrale Mittelfeld versteckt offensive Sechser Handvoll offensiven Zehner Spieler verwandelte anzog kessen Rechtsaußen Führung hübschen Anfängertor Mischung laufen lassen Tugenden naturgemäß verarbeitete überforderten Ballgewinn Amateure Mittellinie Feld verlagerte Widerspruch Spiel debüttauglicher Flügel Personalien verschaffte Logik Platz defensiven Empfang nahm Positionen Direktabnahme offensiv [2] veredelte Offensivspieler Elf [2] Kader Spiel angriffslustigen Wirkungstreffer Rechtsverteidiger [2] stürzte dribbelstarken Verteidigung

Linksaußen Chaos stürzen Bank [2] Abseits Tor Ende scheiterte Verwertungskette Anfangsoffensive wartete erschrecken drehte Kapitän flach coolem Heber einschob massive Verwirrung resultierte trockenen 2:0 Ballgewinn Spiel Hacke entscheiden Pressing beendet leitete verwerflich halten Zweikampfführung Reglement Tatbestand Adria-Regen unterlassene Hilfeleistung Frisur ruinierenden Kapuze Torwart bahnbrechenden leidtragenden Erkenntnisse Qualität Beleg Neulinge schlug sauste Flanke [3] Herzenslust stieg empor Flanke Geleitschutz Richtung Kopfball [2] Drang zum Tor rettete Tempo herausnahm Halbzeitgong Pause Pause ungewöhnlichen Mannschaftsleistung Zehner-Abwehrkette Mannschaft verloren gingen Trainer eingewechselt Übertreibung Zuhilfenahme Lehrstunde Eigentor bezeugte imponierte Kombinationen anspruchsvollen Mix Direktabnahmen Zeiten Rekord Beste [2] Länderspiel Welten Quote verschmolz Tore gewonnenen Confed-Cup Listing Metaphors einfügte 26.03.17 Nachlässigkeiten Festgemeinde Szene geschonten

Spieler Weltmeister zumarschiert Stunde protestierte drückte schuldbewusst technischen K.o. Schiedsrichter Schiedsrichter gelbe Karte [2] ausgesprochen empfing Schlusspfiff mitgelieferte Chancen Statistik Beinah-Eigentor diskret ärgerte Listing Metphor 05.10.17 Karte aufpäppeln Jahresurlaub Nationalspieler gesperrt Krise belastete Vereinsfußball Führungsspieler Zerfallsstadium anschließenden [2] Anhänger Confederations-Cup Nationalmannschaft befreien Nachrichtenlage Albträume Zuversicht ticken pilgerten Profis erfrischt Foul Regenschauer analysierte gestärkt Wahrscheinlichkeit geistige Getränke Urlaubsfoul Wegesrand ernst aufgenommen [2] Not Stadion Fehler [2] einzigen ausbügeln singend [2] WM-Qualifikationsspiel Triumphlieder landete Patient DFB-Elf [2] Obhut Ende Doktor [2] herausgespielten Pfad 4:1-Sieg Besserung makellose gefunden Führung 3:1-Sieg Gruppe Mittel ausbaute akute Beschwerden Spiel [5] verhilft Urlaub buchen DFB-Auswahl bemängelte Zulassung Pflicht Weltmeisterschaft erfüllt Spiel [3] Bundestrainer Qualifikationsgruppe

Anspruch Sieg [2] entsprechen Bilanz Team auszusetzen San-Marino-Status nachgelegt hinter sich Stellungnahme Elf [4] verantwortlich Trainer Regierungserklärung Favoriten ermuntert körperbetontem dominiert lästig Zeit [3] überlegen zu reißen Gastgeber [4] Titel Raum [4] verteidigen Tempo Verruf aufnehmen Bundestrainer Weltmeister Fürsorge Zeit [3] halben Dutzend vorzuenthalten Team Moment nominierte Plan Kader Partie [2] Länderspielpause zu verabschieden Comeback Hälfte [2] beschäftigten herauszukombinieren Spieler Ball [3] Startaufstellung linken Flügel Gastspielen Hereingabe europacupgeschädigte Netz Confed-Cup drückte [2] abgeschrieben rührenden Experte Treue wunderte angeschlagenen [2] gespielten Startelf Querschläger berufen Strafraum [2] Überraschungen gelandet Formation Ball Einsatz Netz Leverkusen-Torwarts beförderte Experten Schusshaltung gerechnet Schusstechnik Torwarttrainer Anlass gerecht Bewunderung Rivalen traumhaften aufteilen Tor [2] demonstrieren Rängen Nummer herrschte Stille

93 deutsche Spieler ein Dutzend Atemzüge nebenher [2] feuerten Urlaubsportale patriotischen scrollen Fans [2] gebrochen Mannschaft [2] weniger Deckung locken körperlich behielt Buchungsbestätigung Ordnung beschäftigt überließ dazugehörigen Gästen lieferte Teile des Terrains Ballverlust Gegenwehr Bayern-Profis beschäftigt rollte Mauern bilden Gegenangriff [2] Lage [2] joggten gegnerische Hälfte Urlaubsmodus letzter Mann Klub-Alltag Torwart Linksaußen antwortet Zweitligisten Buhrufe [2] überraschende in Ruhe historisches Druck Gegentor Bastion gegentorfreie durchbrechen Phase Treffer DFB-Ländergeschichte genommen Treffer Schwierigkeiten kassiert Aufbau Torschütze Offensive EM-Halbfinale teilten Qualifikation [3] Zwillingspaar gnadenlos [3] Arbeit durchziehen Nationalteam Lieblingsformulierung vernachlässigt verwackelt halbrechten verteidigen Position Qualifikations-Kampagne vorderen Mittelfeld Einstimmung Anschluss Hoffnung Geschehen Gegner Wechselfall gutzumachen Platz räumen profitierte Anteilnahme Missgeschick engagierten blitzgeschwind Mittelstürmer inszenierten vergönnt Führung verfehlte

Pause Brustschubser Flanke Ball [2] Kopfball Brust humorlos stolzgeschwellt Tor Kopfball Rest Pfosten Bühne Meinung Idee Publikums Ton Listing Metaphor 08.10.17 Zweikampf Pomp heimzahlen Andrang erledigen Rasen Übungsaufgabe Fahnen [3] Partie Nationalfarben gewünschte Teams versetzt Stern(en) [2] Vorwärtsverteidigung WM-Titel umzugehen Hauptsponsor Chance Fanfarenklänge Wende Gepränge verpasste Staatsfeiertag freistehen Halbzeitchaotisch Oberkante agierende Mannschaft [2] Latte Anlass drückte Gefühle ausgetanzt viertelstündige Szene Beruhigungspause Mannschaftskollege Gastgeber zerstreute Lage Erinnerungen makellose Volley WM-Qualifikation erschuf standesgemäß Ehrentreffer Ende besorgte 5:1-Sieg Gesänge markiert anhoben Sieg Spiel [3] angekündigt Bundestrainer [4] umgebaut Elf gewonnen klassische Abwehrreihe

95 verzichtete richten unterstützte Seite [2] Aufstellung Linksverteidiger Linie bediente Angreifer Erfüllung Pflichtaufgabe Halbzeit abwechslungsreich unfreiwillig Alarmzeichen Stockfehler Tor [3] Sonderklasse aufgesetzten Hackentrick Torwinkel Jubelstimmung Torfestival Momente Unterstand Seitenlinie loszuwerden Lehrer schwenkte Zeigefinger drohend mahnend Ruhe u. Disziplin hochnervösen Ordnungshüter Hinterleute Verbindungsmann formierten Panikorchester Einheimische Pause Untaten Wiedersehen Angreifer Doppelpass Mittelstürmer

Tores Pfosten Abpraller angeschlagene Feld Nachfolger Vorgänger Folgen Zweikampf Linksaußen [2] Nachsehen Ball Netz Überfluss ersetzte Pointe-denkwürdigen unerwünschten Halbzeit verstört wirken [2] beklagen Spielern [2] Übereifer Sololäufe zermürbende Wirkung Gegner [2] Anlauf Chancen Kopfball Führung Eckstoß Kopf erhöhte Schuss Pfosten Kapitän Auftritt Feierabend Nachfolger Gewaltschuss DFB-Elf

Appendix II: Linguistic Pictures Bild.de

Listing Metaphors 26.03.17 Listing Metaphors 08.10.2017 Listing Hyperbole 26.03.17 Bilanz Hacke [3] flotte Kick blitzsauber Spitze [2] blitzsauber Sieg Weltrekord [3] unfassbare Selbstvertrauen WM-Quali-Spiel Qualifikationsspiel Klasse-Schuss flotte Kick WM 2018 pudelwohl aufbauen weiße Weste Problem-Profis überflügelt Listing Hyperbole 08.10.17 Bundestrainer [2] Torverhältnisses überflügelt aufstellen Rekordhalter geschickt per Hacke Dortmund-Bankdrücker beckleckert verdaddeln beste Chanen überraschend Mannschaft bedankt Sieg Listing Hyperbole 04.09.17 Toren [3] Spiel [2] WERNERbar [2] Vorlage Fifa-Weltrangliste Fußball-Fest Tor-Pech Ruhm stürmen im Turbo Tempo knipst Bundestrainer euphorisch gefeiert Sorgenkind Quali-Finale Torfestival [2] Spielpraxis Mission freut mich doppelt fielen Casting zerlegen Gegner Gruppen-Gegnern Gigantisch zusammengespielt Titelverteidigung nachzulegen Kandidaten Listing Hyperbole 10.06.17 versäumt Innenverteidiger Debütanten-Ballern [2] Abspielfehler verletzt "Sandro Marino" passt Oberschenkel Sahne-Flanke spielt [2] ersetzt scharf Muskelbündelriss Listing Hyperbole 08.10.16 drückt Halbzeit [2] flüssigen Kombinationsspiel Ball [2] zähen Spitzen Auftritt Linie versenkt Riesenschritt gespielt [2] Ball scharf und direkt zweifeln geschickt weltmeisterliche Zahlen Spieler [2] Netz Aserbaidschan-Trainer verdaddeln Listing Hyperbole 05.10.17 unfassbare Chancen rummst uns [2] Fehler 1:1-Ausgleich sensationell Kerze Pause Mittelfeld aufdrehen Listing Hyperbole 04.09.16 Konter köpft [2] Quäntchen Glück abschließen Brandt-Flanke Traumpass

Klasse-Schuss gezeigt eiskalt zu lange Ecke Fußball killt geschafft Listing Hyperbole 11.11.16 Body Qualifikation Tor-Regen flankt sauber bewiesen Schützenfest Bankdrücker verpflichtet Bayern-Sorgenkind Tor [2] Listing Hyperbole 01.09.17 Auftritt Länderspiel herrlich herausgespielt treffsichere spielt [2] Krawallmacher jubelt Rekord Sahne-Tor schiebt ein Bann 20-Meter-Kracher kurvt um gebrochen in den Lauf Doppelpack Listing Similes 11.10.16 gewinnt 25-Meter-Knaller …gleiche Aufstellung wie beim Sieg… stört früh Hinspiel-Ergebnis Jogi-Patient übertroffen Listing Similes 04.09.17 aussehen Tests … dass wir weiter wie ein … Klassen Endrunde verärgert Heimspiel Listing Similes 10.06.17 Verteidiger Auslosung …länger ist als Sturm-Konkurrent… stürmt WM-Gruppen Gegentor [2] terminiert Listing Similes 04.09.16 Rekord-Serie Gegner ..sie sich nicht - wie bei der EM… Matchwinner Trainingslager Götze als falsche neun… pudelwohl Gegner wie Norwegen… Trainer Listing Metaphors 04.09.17 BVB-Trainer WERNERbar [2] Listing Similes 11.11.16 Spiele [2] WM-Quali …diesmal wie ein Michelin-Männchen… Vereine Fan-Schande …schlimm wie beim 13:0.. einsetzen Fußball-Fest ..vor mehr als vierzig … nickt ein Sieg platziert Spiel Listing Litotes 26.03.17 Winkel stürmen bisschen arrogant Stadion Turbo-Tempo nicht so treffsicher Gomez-Treffer WM Achtelfinale Torfestival [2] Listing Litotes 08.10.17 Pause Hirnlos-Hools [2] beckleckert sich nicht mit Ruhm leichtes Spiel beschimpft ballert Fans [2] Hector-Pass Vorstellung Latte "Timo Werner"-Sprechchöre Doppelpack Listing Metaphors 11.10.16 Stürmers WM-Grinsen [2] Giganten-Quote Weltmeister Tore

WM-Form Länderspiele [3] Eröffnungsspiel DFB-Dress gewinnt Bundestrainer Fans erhört Bundestrainer Standing Ovations Seitenlinie vom Platz geht WM-Quali [2] Nationalmannschaft [2] Spiel [2] treffe Siege [2] spielen Tore [5] zurückzahlen DFB-Auswahl Fan-Klub anführen 70-Meter-Transparent Punkten Nazi-Rufe ungeschlagen Gewalt Turnier Fremdenfeindlichkeit Kapitän Ausgrenzung Rekord WM-Feeling anbrennen Eröffnungsspiel EM-Vorrunde zerlegen Aufstellung Fifa-Weltrangliste Tor-Hunger Platz Spitze Drehung abziehen Draxler-Flanke trifft Flugkopfball Treffer Passquote Länderspiel Halbzeit [2] DFB-Elf Bank nachlegen verschwand ausgeführt Mannschaft Ball zuzuschauen reinbringen Spitzenmannschaft streift spielen Kugel Sieger WM-Halbfinale Einwechslung Schiri gefeiert pfeift Tickets Ball verteilte Vorlage benachteiligte Torauslinie (Fußball)-Herz Torschüsse Ballbesitz Listing Metaphors 10.06.17 Pause Debütanten-Ballern [2] Gegner Spiel Raum geben Sieg Punkte WM-Quali

100

Gegentor flotte kassiert Confed-Cup [3] tief stand Kantersieg fegt an einbilden Außenlinie Pause Gelbe Karte Ballkontakt Bayern-Verteidiger Strafraum weiterspielen Kapitän Punktverlust Saison Fans Listing Metaphors 08.10.16 Spieler ballert Trafen zaubert [2] knipste Weltmeister-Trainer "Sandro Marino" erlebt Tore [5] Beifall Sturm-Konkurrent offener Szene spielerisch ausverkauften Stadion beweglicher Spieler Sturmspitze fliegenden eigenwillig Ball [2] Debüt ins Aus gewartet Seitenlinie Ereignis Hacke [3] Flanke Jubel Hecht Spitzen-Auftritt Ehre Mannschaft spielen Toren [3] Merkur-Cup Spitze Auftritt nachlegen spielerisch WM-Kandidat Genuss Spieler Weltmeister Amateure aufgestellte Binde-Tor Rasen Schlenzer flüssigen DFB-Kapitän Kombinationsspiel Premiere [2] beteiligt [2] Hechtkopfball Stadion Cleverle-Tor La Ola ablenken Abwehr-Boss Gegner kombiniert Fairness-Handshake Abschlüsse ausführen laufen lassen Freistoß Spiel [5] abschließen unter Kontrolle Abwehr

101 spielen abstauben Platz Torwart-Fehler überfordert Startelf-Debütant Kapitän Arm-Tor Klasse-Reaktion Abwehrmann 16-Meter-Kracher Ball [2] Quali vorlegen WM [2] platziert Gruppenspiel Duett-Partner Riesenschritt Sahne-Flanke heraus gespielt Duett-Tor passt San Marino-Spielen Strafraum Bilanz weiterleiten schraubt auf schließt scharf ab lange Eck [2] flach von rechts köpft [2] schickt steil segelt flankt Grundlinie Listing Metaphors 05.10.17 Direktschuss rummst [2] Glücksbringer WM [2] Schienbeinschoner gewinnt Kombination Sieg [2] Dortmunder-Heimkehrer Spiel [2] Nationaltrikot Auslosung Aufwärtstrend Weltmeisterschaft Bayern-Frust Bayern-Star [2] weltmeisterliche draufhalten Hacke-Spitze-Klasse-Abend trifft [3] DFB-Legende rechtem Winkel Sieg Tor [6] Unentschieden Länderspiel Niederlagen geschossen dominiert Listing Metaphors 04.09.16 reißen Doppelpack [2] Titel müllert verteidigen erzielt Blitz-1:0 Pflichtspieltor Treffer Nationalelf Ersatzbank EM [3] Spielfeldrand spielen Bundestrainer ankündigen kontrolliert Müller-Kriese Team [2] Ende BVB-Spieler

102 treffe Gegentor Spiel Kunst WM-Qualifikation Startelf gesagt Jogi-Therapie getan Liga gefeiert angeschlagenen spielt DFB-Trikot Norwegen-Kasten Aufbau-Gegner im Fallen Sturm erwischt zurechtkommen Ball [2] scheitert Löcher Kopfball Schuss Torwart abgewehrt linken Pfosten aufrappeln Zuspiel zieht ab Front Torhüter Spieler Hand siegt abwehren spielerisch Traumpass Auswärtsspiele Länderspieltor WM-Qualifikation Vorentscheidung verloren [2] zuschlagen Gruppenzweite ungestört Heimpflichtspiel Flanken gelang heranrauschen rummsen wuchtet Heimstärke Kugel [2] Halbzeit Tor [3] eingewechselte Dinger verteidigen Weltmeister Latte Sieg schießt "falsche Neun" zieht ab schief gehen Volley Abspielfehler kurze Ecke Abwehr [2] Nachspielzeit eiskalt Ergebniskosmetik schlagen zu Gruppenspiel Qualifikation [2] Weltrekord WM WM-Quali übernimmt Punkte [2] Tabellenführung Saison Bundestrainer dominiert Listing Metaphors 01.09.17 liegen lassen Fans [5] getroffen pöbeln

103

Tor-Held Tor-Werner Luft nach oben weiße Weste Quäntchen Glück Spiel Torjäger WM-Quali trifft [2] Sieg [2} Fußballspielen Qualifikation konzentrieren WM 2018 Löw-Elf gewinnt Mannschaft sauber ticken glänzen mitgereisten Gegner [2] beschimpfen abtauchen Torschützen Norwegen-Hälfte Slavia-Stadion herausgespielten Tor [2] Chöre Leipzig-Trikot Schwalbe Elfer verwandelt Leipzig-Gegner behandelt Anpfiff Schweigeminute DFB grölen Mannschaft [2] Kurve Atmosphäre aggressiver Aktion Krawallmacher hingegangen Balleroberung Mittellinie Spitze präziser Pass Ballmitnahme Abschluss Sahne-Tor Länderspiel ungestört Pause Stindl-Chance Fußabwehr Ausgleich

104

rauschte Winkel 20-Meter-Kracher Kroos-Freistoßtor überragende Siegtor Sieges-Serie roch

Appendix III: Linguistic Pictures The Telegraph

Listing Metaphors Listing Metaphors 04.09.16 10.06.17 Listing Hyperbole 04.09.16 injury-time winner rescue brittle fear gripped win [2] late double doom-laden headlines game [2] tumult dodgy-keeper manager [4] free-kick brittle fear grippes space Listing Hyperbole 08.10.16 crashed out victory [2] dysfunctional bunch Euro 2016 cheerish defeating doom-laden headlines relied on Listing Hyperbole 10.10.16 looning national obssesion worrying skittischness qualifiying campaign bewildering [2] stupendously ponderous World Cup thrilling desastrous performance unconvincing on the brink ponderous battered Listing Hyperbole 11.11.16 damilar feel football richly talented Journey history keep-ball swagger campaign revealed maddeningly switched-off evenings long and rocky road closing the deal crushing truth struck capable winning [2] qualisier [2] Listing Hyberbole 26.03.17 goal [3] added time powerfully high into era crowd scored win Listing Hyberbole 10.06.17

105 capitalising World Cup qualifier classically predatory Kane deserved [2] score team undercooked sending off ground continued to labour denied Listing Hyberbole 01.09.17 attempt [2] classically predatory brilliant predator reward little of note finish brilliantly play [2] arrived speculative shot No 10 role unmarked played so deep post Listing Hyperbole 04.09.17 goalkeeper guide in slammed dodgy keeper cross tipping him to 'shine' belonged beaten fulminanting volley hosts meetings air of panic found the space paralysis by fear squeeze encountered Listing Hyberbole 05.10.17 low shot disaster avoided dangerous areas trickled through team [4] anticipated brilliantly goalkeppers legs described [3] wave of pessimism appearance putting up tents icy cold points tunnels of water

Group F power of endurance Listing Hyberbole 08.10.17 represented mediocre phenomenal numbers tie on the road game [6] dreary display lucky manager substitute [2] fortune lead Listing Similes 04.09.16 handed a lucky coin undercooked …and it felt like a long … match [2] season …that it felt like this new… played Euro 2016 press conference surge of pride Listing Similes 08.10.16 size of task goals [4] …that is resented as much as … scars free-kick [6] …reaction was not as quick as … players Celtic striker …what it is like to endure… starters beat …felt like a tired finish from… lined up distance …Uefa division, the likes of …

106 remembered back post …what seemed like a faint hope… coach appeared …an opponent as poor as Malta… qualifiying record shoot out World Cup group stage judge Listing Similes 11.10.16 not get past Test batsman …a team as dysfunctional as … lost same delivery performance [2] whipped past Listing Similes11.11.16 …met by Lallana who - like 2018 World Cup past Sturridge… deserved [2] dispatched been booked pinpoint accuracy Listing Similes 10.06.17 first half [2] corner …two goals, as Scotland's best … received save …when it feels like just … yellow card positioning …they still felt like a team… stamping goalkeeperplayer [2] … feel a bit like the test… striker epithet break [2] mark on Listing Similes01.09.17 warranted football [2] …looked like another … red card defying the hierachy …footballer like Malta right … touchedthe ballopening half hour greatest triumph …footballer such as those…. Rooney'S role some awe captain Test batsman Listing Similes 05.10.17 cap humble club sides ,,,pessimism as icy cold as… overtake compete …looking very much like the late …. record led … kind of goalscorer like Kane … playing pressing game ….looked like a man …. No 10 employed back in midfield match Listing Similes 08.10.17 …Kane deserves to be categorised centre deliver as … formation strikes …was as lacklustre as last … deeper right at the death back in midfield Group F Listing Litotes 05.10.17

107 indulgence beat him past …did not try […] he had not … psychology central Time will tell World Cup finals Listing Litotes 08.10.17 pluses cohereny …not London […] well not have … result [2] three points off overcome the back second place crushed one off Euros play fight task remains preety steep opposition lesson starters lack of punchlines playmaker right palaver midfield players [3] concede missing Kane's equalisier boast pass home record ball [6] parked the bus build dominated [2] attack possession opposition winning start sat very deep punched the air pick up a booking regroup crashing into cross-shot back post opportunity keep an eye on lost Celtic full-back ball [6] job area deployed cross-shot right wing move first half [2] nothing of note missed curling shot lost victory shovelled out penalised shuffeld back erupting goalkeepers weaknesses over the top beaten drove goalkeeper [2] cannon off a post strayed outside turned the screw area net to head pulled up went straight offside bouncing ball marginal call off the line substitute footed shot retrieved nicely placed

108 dog-tired head it away opponents picked failed up wide clear cutting in past fashioned the chance ricochet eluding Listing Metaphors 08.10.16 running secure team-mates win [2] squared up puzzle beat watch saved [2] dysfunctional bunch took team foul play space 176th ranked Celtic man to boo draw FA Listing Metaphors descended 01.09.17 familiar chaos double manager puts gloss on major question night of toil presenting one-way outfiel games [6] record-breaking World Cup qualification 116th cap entertainment finished it constitute of contest defending underwhelming night captain goals [10] Wembley booig season relationship team [11] cheered Fifa booed final five game [8] players [3] test England fans opposition [2] unflattering terms beat performance [2] crowds tu guess played similar verdict rumblings front rooms caps league Southgate's defence footballers [2] player [3] right to the edge play [3] reards ducked out supporters fans already left

109 remains match resented injury-time cherished goalkeeper seats able to cut free crowd picked out on the wane composure in the box midfield scoreline position looked a lot assertion occasion England manager [2] switched over predecessor lesson disagreed forms disprove post-Iceland landescpae theory football central midfield Euro 2016 debacle opponent wavered meaningful test opponent wild tackle disposed of property first half [2] booed off opposite number half-time home crowd break to the rebound switched to managed scored Malta captain space red card substitute Swedish referee standout-player mistake brilliant predator booking caps played at a pace worked hypnotically slow into the ground scoring twice defend tailed away shortcomings break [3] England side World Cup qualifier shot half-time beat tired finish form taking down group key one footballers absence goals [5] passing [2] pounded grimly on the door midfielder second half disposal substitutes central player behind the ball range hung on capable of piercing defeat with honour slow-moving battalion

110 hierarchy of minnows lower-league ahead play [2] lightweights pace on the flans Uefa division supplies of energy learned a lesson craft 5:1 hammering spots the fleeting corridors organised space challenges attack presented defence Liverpool captain goes through the floor teams substituted qualifying groups half-time [3] keep the scoreline replaced [2] introduction looked like a threat interm manager 4-4-1 formation Wembley crowd missed mention recovered matchday programme touch arrived final ball took the seat second half old manager lack of guile pay too much attention set up performance clearance voted Engalnd's build up man of the match passing [2] key role ball [5] balance chase and block team visiting team four-men defence two points save at the top replacement [2] Group F called up win [2] Southampton man beat Southgate's line-up secure international debut quaification Under 21s manager vicissitudes squad footballer European championships methodically towards Machester United man winning mark his start reminded [2] obliged plan won shot manager crossed the ball played out header [2] qualifiers ball [4] played picked out free-flowing football

111 area [2] booing pace on the cross failed to break through to direct break down [2] beyond crowds ist own box goalkeeper cpmpetent defending team-mates Spur's team-mate Liverpool striker struck passing in the air dribbled past captain opponents hell of alot lashed in shots screening angels midfielder drove in possession pinched passing range shot close range No 10 position back to goal Listing Metaphors 11.11.16 running onto heroics passes rescue point defence [2] struggeling visitors created [2] team [3] scattered dysfunctional first half [2] World Cup qualifier scored recognised arrived familiar kind left channel crisis struck deposed goalkeeper captain Alli's cross substitutes bench took a deflection summoned sent it laboured steeper qualifier [2] trajectory showed up met fiercly fluency in attack substituted defence showed worrying skittishness Listing Metaphors outstanding 04.09.17 player from villian to hero rescue [3] hosts handbrake edge close released called played World Cup trepidation team [4] first hald leaders 50-year inheritance comeback kid [2]

112 point showing finished World Cup qualifier introduce leave on the brink bigger picture reaching the finals interim manager goal [6] failed to win Rashford's error Fifa forward failed to beat provided meeting assist 15-match accomplished winning winning strick run five points clear qualifying [2] Group F games redemption mitigation England Manager inherited lifeline mess post-Sam runners-up withdrawals group [2] team [7] qualify Group F play-offs running away heading that way Euro 2016 dive bleaker picture laboured captain's armband victory [2] handed back 118-cap captain scored to draw obliged punched the air [2] result defining performance manager stage win [3] play [2] Tottenham man had fallen defence first-half [2] beaten appeared mark over set up long-term 4-4-1-1-formation FA unable to cope reluctant result required on-going hesistancy showed most dangerous from set pieces come from behind players [2] re-run gifted Euro 2016 openings haunts in a ruck man-of-the match full-back tipping him to "shine"

113 raised point at home opposite wing giving the bird' games French referee pass by team-mate replaced Fifa took win shooting slammed options foolish distraction pass by involve created manager first half [2] play misjudged second striker back-pass played [2] defenders contribution ball [3] flank to open up ballooned attacking threat over the cross bar get away ran into trouble seccond-half [3] replaced [2] performance [2] players [3] blamed [2] booed off pitch supporters disconnect central midfield front captain back impressive drive wavelength midfielder [2] tuned pass presented ball [4] struck dictate the tempo post defence spook sent off understatement half-time slowing down Slovakian winger bench running clear on goal stupendously ponderous free-kick [2] aggrieved defenders penalty out of defence blatant body check into the turf midfielder half cleared chased at fault area Slovakia's goal failing off a cliff smart save general mood second-half called upon parrying save [5] fulminating volley striker positioning

114 number 10 role England's number one run profited home side Slovakia's best player set pieces play-maker header [2] had to go off centre-back disconnects struck won [2] first-time save from behind stopped football flicked out recovered goal [3] early trauma game [4] conceding possession second-placed team shot [3] run the ball played penalty area carried bundling possession block the shot flicking position striker [2] required lovly wedged pass cutback defence Liverpool man to pick out forced run headed straight plays tunnel [2] miscued supporters brought it down winner nudging is shot go cold turkey net Rooney fix air of panic play [3] corner back pass took it into the path clever run stand-in captain near post suberbly sweep Listing Metaphors 11.11.16 goal-frame headers [2] on the line secure half-chances win [2] snatched Southgate's ascension provided took control short pass World Cup qualifying group weighed up the space sent an arrowing angled take control shot manager [2] 25 yards headed goals bounced defeated flew beyond win goalkeeper

115 rivals beaten openings caretaker Listing Metaphors head coach 05.10.17 familiar opponents confirms familiar feelings World Cup qualification Auld Enemy goal [7] Group F rescue representing dismisal performance ahead qualify spirited World Cup finals [2] played wave of pessimism created icy cold chippy manager delivered wasted tournament turnament saved [2] home marchs injury-time challenges wracked on course preceded reflect goalscorer [2] in the hands of English footballer FA struck matchesclean sheets games [8] rebuild occasion [2] gleeful home fans team [3] crushed by the sheer Wembley turf weight keep-ball swagger pressed down goals [3] stadium [3] performances seats in-form wide men block players [2] rows richly-talented Euro 2008 maddeningly fans switched off paper plans plays pitch look shorn touchline Euro 2016 late convert to teaching affected England's tournament player red seats of Wembley counted picked up shambolic predecessors defending dread auditioning in charge Mannequin Challenge boasting on complained defenced

116 scoreline theme defending score ballooning play glaring miss conceded suffocating quarter-finals played [2] 1990 World Cup game [2] FA [2] instalment near-misses oldest fixture friendly opposition World football lost build up visitors roll of drums draw a bigger gate whirl of pipes crowd exhortations and expectations attracted palaver over the wearing squad poppy match ritual booing qualification anthems brighter lights unfolded pace and running pressigh high first-half [2] pressing hard right-back attempted sent out pray on England's nerves wrong setting ball [5] second half out from the book score corridor of uncertainity West Ham goalkeeper brought some belief coming out drove forward substitute drew challenges save bravely spread panic rebound won contact on the leg penalty penalty area strandedn short on real quality across crossed recalled headed jumped opponent created dangerours areas opening pitch [2] scored standard of opposition shot [2] play out from the back deflected passing spun out wide move the ball fired speed chest-high cross pick up striker work the ball

117 improvised shoot close range to stoop kicked fierce run header across opposition defence playing requirements competitive game No 10 position net absence finish breack vindicated passed selection showed ball [2] punched the air in delight England's corners proved dreadful knock-out offside racked playing it short unmarked home team corner moved it headed over escaped deflated to cut it left audition weak chip post goalkeeper corner Slovenia's defence straight pace and turnig speed goals [2] attacking threat pass chased up moved to block blind alleys games centre-backs presented seized on got strucked passed run clear crossed cross touch dummied slight but accurate snatched save dragged it wide bench in the path showed prod lacked captain deflected Hotspur striker pivotal Listing Metaphors lofted 08.10.17 sent it out delivers fed the overlapping creary display clipped it back Southgat's strugglers area reffered to back across Kane team [2] cracked play in with fell further behind won [2]

118 routine finsih World Cup qualifier damning Listing Metaphors 26.03.17 hosts strike striker [2] dismiss captaincy opponents led his claimedd [4] scored goal [8] player [4] headlines [2] first-half points penalty World Cup qualifier England shirt stroll playing it short play Three Lions pedestrian a fashion manager [2] manager midfield win lacklustre match [3] opposition opposition [2] stumbled filed victory [2] heading seal appearance qualification recalled World Cup [2] broke the deadlock head of unpicking Group F packed goal [2] defence performance leading points team [2] showing forged a bon loss in regard keep his emotions in check seigns [2] line-up cries out louder 9-1 formation team stay compact ball player gulf poachers's instinct plastic pitch to lead supporters attack paper areplans Age is no bar ironic chant veteran play finsiher fans squad football turning to cold and pouring rain push on wrapping equalisier soggier man break their lines line-up get in behind sliver of mitigation

119

England's scorers caps thirtysomethings kick-off heading towards career England career McClaren debacle new lease of life competetive fixture international career three at the back' World Cup full-backs showed [2] wing-back game-management oppostion demonstrated played highlighted [2] back five forged conceded central defensive partnership debuts impressed Spurs player carried away England's best player remembered creative void faced pass Euro 2016 qualifier ball [3] put them away forward secured scored win [2] second-half 2014 World Cup debacle quick feet created space feel-good factor goalkeeper [2] returned push scoring shot over 4-1 defeat front three World Cup qualifying campaign showed flashes to concede won [3] breeds confidence penalty [3] Group F preserved qualify service trips performance artificial pitch passing too performances [2] headed building towards area observing collect signs challenged 3-4-3 formation thumbled over loss spot-kick system steered observation low right-foot defenders struck scoreline post [2] forward players rebounded

120 to rely on net central midfield appearances [2] seize his chance games [2] three-man defence matches [2] step-up club creating penalties speed and strength big players ' marker deserves pull the ball back categorised queuing up attempted sided-footed close-range netlatching header [2] pass shott wide force cut back block forced goalkeeper fine save dominance divert possession cross-bar laboured flurry of opportunities soporific substitude [2] half-time wasted jolt blocked latched on wing-back header qualification campaign nod striker ball back-heeled goalwards volles past flew beyond cross-bar past changing side netting scampering back stole clear off snatched line-up openings offside blaze over flag occasions stayed down replaced tackling Hibernian striker crunched put clear realised shot change it up broke down game cross streched cut out bench reached sharp move fire in penalty area inadvertent shot shrewed turn it away

121

first-time pass competetive that led steered his shot striker put clear shot over

Appendix IV: Linguistic Pictures The Sun

Listing Metaphors 04.09.16 Listing Metaphors 10.06.17 Listing Similes 11.10.16 …compared to Three Lions Adam and Eve Kane is Able legend… snatches [2] stoppage time [3] While […] Pele, Hart thwarted… winnner [2] volley … Kurtic was like Gordon Banks England reign saves winnner [2] shock defeat Listing Similes 11.11.16 Liverpool star fired …gained employment as a …. drills injury time [3] goal Three Lions Listing Similes 26.03.17 stoppage time [2] scramble …scored like he is in … [2] ten-men Slovaks [2] draw … hed does like he did … struck stunning free-kick double victory verge of victory Listing Similes 10.06.17 game [5] equaliser [2] …games as the quality… in charge saved [2] …come back as a team … fired home World Cup … a bit like a heavyweight …. international goal upset dying moments win [2] Listing Similes 01.09.17 three points struck …performance as the visitors … Liverpool defender late free-kick …the pints as his pace … saw red shock stam Celtic ace Listing Similes 04.09.17 goalless draw earned his side …matches, a run that … stole the show win …shrugged it off, as all … time added on from behind …. Euro 2016 as a wildcard. record appearance opener outfield player a sub Listing Similes 08.10.17 led the team broke hearts [2] Winks, wearing Mike Tyson-style… kick-off [2] volleyed [2]

122 caphapless tactics we stick Listing Hyberbole 04.09.16 corner captain [2] dying moments to adopt to fire ahead hapless tactics threathening earn the point attacking game [3] Listing Hyperbole 08.10.16 position goals [2] wonderful saves supporters Stats fantastic performance full voice Facts excellent recent form supporters scarves cries friendship scarf Listing Hyperbole 11.10.16 Big Sam's Barmy Army' Matchday stunning saves stadium rip-off world-class display dumped struggled footballing skills training Listing Hyperbole 11.11.16 sliced kick keepers stunning home victory attempted clearance bench brilliant ball fans fans Euro 2016 national anthems Listing Hyperbole 04.09.17 kicking freh air booed extravagant knee-sliding helped opposing fans a razor-sharp Tottenham man's first in the book break-neck speed reputation challenge delicious chip ten received referee exhilarating display yellow card locals firm elbow yellow card Listing Hyperbole 08.10.16 on the jaw shot on target Snoozefest laid out straight Spurs man baseball cap Listing Litotes 26.03.17 playing create a chance …no reason why he wouldn't be… playing sent ball high Euros [2] Team touches home supporters attacking third Arsenal star first half poor touch corners Three Lions supporters sent off created rash challenge playing touchline gum shield stamp clearded [2] England Striker Spurs striker shown spotted red card keeper untouchable off his line manager delivered brought on lob captains position off the line

123 switched match Manchester United man Championship game holding role wasted making way complaints wondered scored score replaced short curl scoring cannon back fans [2] off the post taunted looked short hammered key moments free-kick [2] hauled off past be replaced shaking to the corner final curled break down opposite corner heavyweight fighting opponents middleweight sat deep packing men Listing Metaphors 01.09.17 behind the ball double [2] scored fire to victory late winner Three Lions [2] offside Tottenham striker flag bags twice ball Southampton defender reached him off Arsenal Ace Slocakia boot net in added on second half [2] stoppages move closer drilled World Cup qualification low shot remain on course win World Cup victory Listing Metaphors 08.10.16 took the points games brace England boss strikes passed vintage performance with a hitch visitors Three Lions break down brushed aside home defence stuck supporters midfield goalless playing first half on the wings goal visitors introduction stuck break

124 behind the ball Manchester united star guilty provided the spark absolut sitter secure the points thundered tormented half volles high and wide backline Liverpool man second period made up broke cushioned header deadlock doubled the lead restart rebound long-ranger late on snap-shot added the gloss getting out toe-poked own half keeper stopper [2] break Listing Metaphors 04.09.17 southgate's team goals looked on gift front foot Group F [2] denied Three Lions [2] resolute fell behind back four goal saves [2] rallied back singles-handedly World Cup qualifier [3] kept out goes OTT performance [3] compare Hull-born playground three points Manchester United forward tougher test deserves top billing goals powers of recovery stats that led to [3] Liverpool boss scoring game [6] ran enhanced congested midfield reputation shrugged international level players scoring hit a winner goal [2] off the hook Spurs man leading shot [2] opening saved [2] play-off keeper World Cup won sent in encounters corner packing the defence improved equaliser test plodded to victory unbeaten home soil

125 tournament ramp up qualify games deserves credit won striking passes qualifiers build-up win winner boos interception England crowd moved the ball season set free first half finished it England skipper putting play dip on his effort midfield beat passing keeper set the tone knee-sliding flattered to deceive supporters pitch opener contribute nightmare scenario introduced visitors replace stadium England fans strike missed the chance running into trouble return to the squad dribble United winger out of danger range header cost played fitness point of view razor-sharp one-two hobbled of flicking the sweetest hamstring assist big doupt Enland's defence home game Celta Vigo defender drew off his line Listing Metaphors 11.10.16 corner Hart stopper finding England Keeper net lauded side-foot finish world class [2] shades save Wally with a Brolly blew compared qualifying Three Lions legend Euros Manchester United Keeper Southgate's player string [2] stodgy saves settled Southgate's men qualifier struggled [2] break-neck-speed saved sloppy in possession display shoved out keeper [2] carved

126 axed saved produced corner stops led to memories equalisier Bank's show Spurs midfielder World Cup running into trouble admitted post heroics Rashfords's corner body is in pieces flick [2] thwarted stranded blocking ball [2] midfielder sailed close-range header net clawing area [2] ball tackled smashing build-up goal corner kick frame tee-up lost on the edge stop classy touch saves escape goalkeeper clumsy touch Manchester United winger Listing Metaphors 11.11.16 wriggle clear slay [2] owes a pint home ssoil off the hook Three Lions edge of the box romped replays stunning clumsy fould victory unpunished edge them closer save World Cup qualification set him up England stars delicious chip use their heads [2] second half Auld Enemy [3] carved scored Slovakia defence header [2] Euro 2016 World Cup qualifier wildcard showdown scoring out-of-favour debut striker switched scoring wings connected play fizzed cross catalyst nodded display top corner beating

127 whipped finish brilliant ball salute direct wee past new star buried goal [3] game Euro 2004 qualifier ran through run [2] defence won to crash in competitive matches routine corner home record goals [2] defeat Facts loss Stats away vitory play ou home nation from the back beat robbed assists to launch player serious attack games comeback retirement Listing Metaphors 05.10.17 came off Slo Burner sent him grab flying winner [2] shoulder barge Three Lions Premier League book season World Cup stooped low spot to head stabs in superb lead injury time [2] World Cup goal putt gloss on campaign display catch fans fierce drive paper aeroplanes players [2] pitch nodding over plane dashing down tedious clashed glossed kick close-range ball emplying cross chef public lauhing stock left to feed off scraps wasted looked shapfirst half [3] golden chances second period dragging wide game's shooting straight flahspoint goal at his mercy Slovenian captain no fox in a box tumbled a row avoided

128 dampen down second yellow pitch match made them pay midway straight up keepers double their lead Match stats Rose's cross number one picking up earned the accolade Scotland fans keeper peacemaker La Liga strike Listing Metaphors 26.03.17 possession To Russia with Love ponderous hero forward fired his way awarded contention free-kick [2] World Cup position goal on the pitch trademark boot strike wide off the post bagged half time Three Lions ball [2] sunderland star net [2] tournament penalised biggest stage fouling axed defender squad [2] players forward sport of spar evergreen quickly-taken goal-machine forced wildcard push pecking post players [2] second half playing attack deserve competition Listing Metaphors 08.10.17 reality Snoozefest to pick scores full cohort penalty spot call upon Three Lions impact [2] fail to impress scores rain-soaked Premier League [2] World Cup qualification reason unbeaten put my house opted scoring teams stage christening

129 second-hald sub unflattering title scored scored [3] game club introduction dependent Foxes striker country's captain champions winner manager book place keep the focus World Cup golden oldie finished off have got the goals qualifying campaign story pinning their hopes added [2] goal bigger picture spot [2] despatched with class and camp composure contribution tripped full book head coach giving caps a bold move formation playing 3-4-3 all down tactics personnel threatened save defender put through net standing out mediocre ankle boots forced [2] flying save keeper second half saved Creswell's header across goal prevent scoring performance

130

Following the articles about the individual games and of each online newspaper in chronological order:

Appendix 1: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Norway – Germany

4. September 2016, 22:53 Uhr

Thomas Müller trifft wieder

Die Mission Titelverteidigung läuft - und die DFB-Elf siegt zum Auftakt der WM-Quali locker 3:0 in Norwegen. Der Bayern-Stürmer überwindet seine Ladehemmung im Nationaltrikot.

Thomas Müller plumpste auf den Rasen, der Ball kullerte davon, für jeden normalbeweglichen Fußballspieler wäre die Situation nun vorbei gewesen. Für Müller fing sie erst so richtig an. Vom Boden aus wuchtete er sich in den Stand, er trat noch einmal nach dem Ball, fiel dabei wieder hin, im Fallen traf er aber gerade so noch den Ball. Dann lag Müller wieder auf dem Rasen. Und der Ball kullerte ins Tor.

Es ist zuletzt viel darüber diskutiert worden, wie lange Müller kein Tor mehr geschossen hat. Nicht im ersten Bundesliga-Spiel für den FC Bayern, nicht bei der Europameisterschaft, überhaupt für die deutsche Nationalmannschaft seit Oktober 2015 in keinem Pflichtspiel mehr. Am Sonntag, in der ersten Partie der Qualifikation zur Weltmeisterschaft 2018 in Russland, setzte sich diese Serie fort, allerdings nur 14 Minuten lang. Dann plumpste Müller auf den Rasen, um von dort aus diese ihm eigene Beweglichkeit zu demonstrieren, die so kunstvoll zwischen Akrobatik und Slapstick pendelt. Ende der Debatte.

Müllers Tor leitete einen souveränen Sieg der deutschen Mannschaft ein, sie gewann in Oslo gegen Norwegen ungefährdet 3:0 (2:0), auch das dritte Tor erzielte Müller. Es war ein unaufgeregter Abend, ein erfolgreicher Start in das Projekt der WM-Titelverteidigung, doch für weitere, tiefer gehende Erkenntnisse war der Gegner zu schreckhaft, zu vorsichtig, zu überfordert: "Wir haben ein gutes Auswärtsspiel gemacht, haben Tore erzielt, hätten aber auch ein paar mehr machen können", fasste der Doppeltorschütze vom FC Bayern den Abend zusammen.

Neun Weltmeister in der Startelf

Zum 139. Mal verantwortete Bundestrainer Joachim Löw ein Länderspiel, in dieser Statistik hat er nun gleichgezogen mit Helmut Schön; noch häufiger betreute eine DFB-Elf allein Sepp Herberger, auf ihn fehlen Löw noch 28 Spiele. Der so routinierte Bundestrainer setzte in Norwegen unbeirrt seinen Weg fort, er vertraute auf das ihm bekannte Personal. Neun Weltmeister von 2014 standen in der Startelf, hinzu kamen die Außenverteidiger Joshua Kimmich und Jonas Hector.

Wie diese ähnlich routinierte Mannschaft die Partie beherrschte, damit war Löw sehr zufrieden. "Norwegen war heute nicht so stark", sagte der Bundestrainer, "aber sie sind auch nicht ins Spiel gekommen, weil wir den Ball gut laufen gelassen haben, weil wir die Positionen gut gehalten haben."

Im Vergleich zur Europameisterschaft in Frankreich, bei der seine Mannschaft bisweilen Schwierigkeiten hatte, sich viele hochwertige Szenen im Strafraum zu erspielen, agierte die DFB-Elf in Oslo zielstrebig, direkt, mitunter auch fantasievoll; allerdings begleiteten die Norweger diese Bemühungen großzügig, indem sie mit Sicherheitsabstand verteidigten. Kimmich und Hector positionierten sich weit vorne, unterstützten das Spiel über die Außenbahnen, von denen aus sich das Team bevorzugt in den Strafraum kombinierte.

131

In der achten Minute zum Beispiel flankte Julian Draxler von der linken Seite, direkt auf den Kopf von Müller, dieser verzichtete ganz auf Akrobatik und Slapstick, der Ball ging dennoch am Pfosten vorbei. Zwei Minuten später passte Müller zum aufgerückten Innenverteidiger Benedikt Höwedes, dessen gegrätschten Schuss wehrte Norwegens neue Nummer eins, Rune Jarstein, mit dem Fuß ab. Fünf Minuten später dann war von Müller ein ungewöhnlicher Bewegungsablauf gefordert, schon traf er: "Da war einfach das Quäntchen Glück wieder da, das man als Torjäger auch braucht", sagte Müller. "Das war gut für ihn", sagte auch Löw, "das gibt ihm Mut für den Rest der Saison."

Kimmich schießt sein erstes Tor

Auch danach hatte die DFB-Elf keine Probleme, und wenn doch, dann folgten diese auf eigene Unkonzentriertheiten und Missverständnisse. Joshua King kam durch eine unglückliche Abwehraktion von Kimmich an den Ball, er schoss von der Strafraumgrenze, ziemlich scharf, aber auch deutlich vorbei (24.). Gefährlicher wurde es in der gesamten Partie nicht vor dem Tor von Manuel Neuer, dem neuen DFB-Kapitän. In Ruhe konnte dieser sich von hinten anschauen, wie sich seine Mitspieler weitere Möglichkeiten erspielten. Der herausgeeilte Jarstein klärte vor Draxler (29.), Müller scheiterte mit einem weiteren Kopfball (32.). Kurz vor der Pause leitete der Münchner dafür das zweite Tor ein, nach seinem Zuspiel erzielte Kimmich ausgesprochen abgeklärt sein erstes Länderspieltor (45.).

In der zweiten Halbzeit verschanzte sich Norwegen zunächst wenige Minuten lang nicht mehr ganz so passiv vor dem eigenen Tor, die Gastgeber zeigten sogar Ansätze von Offensivaktionen. Mehr aber nicht. Meist endeten diese Angriffe spätestens an der Mittellinie. Und so dominierten die Gäste weiterhin die Partie, setzten sich bald wieder in der gegnerischen Spielfeldhälfte fest. Fast alle norwegischen Feldspieler zogen sich daraufhin wieder in den Strafraum zurück. Dort verstellten sie dennoch nur wenige Passwege, besonders auffällig war dies in der 60. Minute. Ungestört spielte der ansonsten unauffällige Mario Götze zu Kimmich, der zurück zu Götze, der weiter zu Sami Khedira. Der flankte aus dem Halbfeld, auf den Kopf von Müller, und dieses Mal traf er.

"Natürlich gibt es Ansatzpunkte für uns, uns noch zu verbessern", sagte Löw, "in der Effizienz zum Beispiel, das war auch gegen Frankreich im EM-Halbfinale das große Problem."

In der letzten halben Stunde verwaltete die deutsche Elf das Ergebnis, das war selten spektakulär, aber mehr verlangte ihr dieser Gegner auch nicht ab.

Der eingewechselte Julian Brandt kam am häufigsten zum Abschluss, nach einem eigenen Dribbling, nach einer Flanke, ein Treffer gelang aber auch ihm nicht mehr. Doch das mit der Effizienz war ja an diesem Abend auch kein wirklich großes Problem.

Appendix 2: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Germany – Czech Republic

8. Oktober 2016, 22:48 Uhr

Kroos entscheidet cheffig das Spiel

Von Carsten Scheele, Hamburg

Der Ball kam angeflogen aus der Hälfte der Tschechen, Joachim Löw stoppte ihn, nicht profan mit der Sohle, sondern reichlich kunstvoll mit der Hacke aus der Luft. Da johlte das Publikum in der Arena im alten Volkspark, und wenn da so etwas gewesen sein sollte wie

132 eine minimale Verstimmung zwischen Löw und den Hamburgern, dann war sie in diesem Moment aufgelöst. Löw hatte sich ja ein bisschen lustig gemacht über die erfolglosen Fußballklubs der Stadt, als er unkte, es werde vom Bundesliga-Letzten HSV und vom Zweitliga-Letzten FC St. Pauli hoffentlich "nichts abfärben" auf seine DFB-Elf, wenn diese in der Hansestadt gastiert. Doch nun der Hackentrick, alles wieder gut.

Es hat dann auch nichts abgefärbt, die Stimmung war trefflich, die Arena ausverkauft bis auf wenige freie Plätze im Block des Gegners. Das Ergebnis stimmte auch: Im zweiten Spiel der Qualifikationsrunde zur WM 2018 in Russland besiegte die Nationalelf den überforderten Gegner Tschechien mit 3:0 (1:0). Thomas Müller (13., 66.) und Toni Kroos (49.) erzielten die Tore, womit die DFB-Elf nach dem Auftaktsieg gegen Norwegen mit der maximalen Punktausbeute und 6:0 Toren an der Spitze der Tabelle der Qualifikationsgruppe steht. Am Dienstag in Hannover soll diese ohnehin gute Zwischenbilanz gegen Nordirland noch ausgebaut werden.

Löw beobachtet, wie sein Team unermüdlich auf Tore drängt

Zwei personelle Rätsel hatte Löw vor Anpfiff zu lösen, wobei beide im Grunde höchstens Rätselchen waren. So setzte Löw auch gegen die Tschechen auf sein EM-erprobtes Mittelfeldduo Kroos/Khedira, was im Umkehrschluss bedeutete, dass Rückkehrer Ilkay Gündogan zunächst nur auf der Bank saß, obwohl dieser bei seinem Klub Manchester City gerade einen steilen Aufstieg zum neuen Lieblingsspieler unter Coach Pep Guardiola hinlegt. Im Sturm wiederum fiel Löws Wahl auf Mario Götze als einzige Spitze, da Mario Gomez verletzungsbedingt ausfällt und Löw in solchen Fällen eigentlich immer auf Götze setzt.

Flankiert von Julian Draxler, links, sowie Müller auf der rechten Seite wirbelte der Dortmunder vom Anpfiff weg los. Die Tschechen guckten bloß zu, wie Götze den Ball so passgenau auf den Fuß von Müller spielte, dass dieser ihn vor lauter Verblüffung nicht mehr zu kontrollieren wusste (12.). Nur einen Angriff später ließ Götze den Querpass von Mesut Özil klug durchlaufen, vorbei an allen Tschechen, direkt zu Müller, der es besser machte und trocken zur Führung einnetzte (13.). Die Fans aus der Stadt der versammelten Tabellenletzten jubelten dermaßen laut, als hätten sie wirklich lange keinen Grund zum Freuen gehabt.

Löw konnte von der Seitenlinie beobachten, wie sein Team unermüdlich weiter auf Tore drängte. Nur fallen wollten diese zunächst nicht. Und so passte die Analyse, die Löw vor wenigen Tagen über die EM in Frankreich angestellt hatte - in Kurzform: super gespielt, aber zu wenige Tore geschossen - auch auf diese Partie in der ersten Halbzeit. Ja, die deutsche Elf spielte super, erwirtschafte aber deutlich zu wenig Ertrag. Götze hätte erhöhen können, nach einem 50-Meter-Pass von Boateng, ebenso der erneut starke Draxler, der kurz darauf knapp am Pfosten vorbeizielte (23.). Müller versuchte es ebenfalls, seinen Schuss parierte Tschechen-Keeper Vaclik in höchster Not (25.). Schließlich lief Götze allein auf Vaclik zu, überlupfte ihn - doch auch dieser Ball trudelte am Tor vorbei (31.).

Löw lobt die Hamburger: "Tolle Stimmung"

Ziemlich bald nach dem Anpfiff der zweiten Halbzeit trat dann Kroos auf den Plan, und es wirkte, als hätte der Chef des deutschen Spiels einfach keine Lust darauf, nach der Partie die immerselben Fragen nach der verbesserungswürdigen Chancenauswertung beantworten zu müssen. Also ließ es sich am Sechzehner von Joshua Kimmich den Ball servieren und jagte ihn sehr cheffig mit einem Flachschuss unten rechts ins Netz (49.). Da war die Partie endgültig in die richtigen Bahnen gerückt.

Eine Viertelstunde später erzielte Müller das 3:0 (66.), auf Flankenpass von Jonas Hector. Der eingewechselte Benedikt Höwedes hätte noch erhöhen könnte, scheiterte aber zweimal

133 knapp. Bei der Laola, die durch das Stadion wogte, machten selbst die tschechischen Anhänger mit. Den Hamburger Fans, ob sie nun zum HSV oder St. Pauli halten, wäre es sicher recht, wenn umgekehrt etwas auf ihre beiden Tabellenletzten "abfärbt" - oder Löws Elf zumindest ein paar Gramm Offensivesprit bei der Abreise in der Hansestadt vergisst. Ein Lob für die Hamburger Fans hatte Löw schon mal parat: "Es war eine tolle Stimmung, ein tolles Publikum."

Appendix 3: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Germany – Northern Ireland

11. Oktober 2016, 22:58 Uhr

Die DFB-Elf macht jetzt Ernst

3:0 gegen Tschechien, jetzt 2:0 gegen Nordirland: Die deutsche Nationalmannschaft ist momentan zu überlegen, um spannende Spiele zu liefern.

Von Christof Kneer

Nach 25 Minuten machten die Statistiker diese Zahl öffentlich: Deutschland sieben, Nordirland eins. Hierbei handelte es sich nicht um den Zwischenstand dieser WM- Qualifikations-Partie, aber immerhin um die sogenannte Torschuss-Statistik. Sieben Torschüsse, das war nicht schlecht für 25 Minuten, aber es war noch gar nichts gegen die Zahlen, die es beim vergangenen Duell dieser beiden Nationen zu vermelden gegeben hatte. Ende Juni, beim EM-Vorrundenspiel in Paris, hatte die DFB-Elf nach 25 Minuten zirka hundert Torschüsse auf ihrem Konto, vielleicht waren es auch zweihundert, zu diesem Zeitpunkt stand es allerdings noch 0:0 - anders als jetzt, dreieinhalb Monate später, im Stadion von Hannover.

Da führte Deutschland nach 17 Minuten bereits 2:0, schon zu diesem frühen Zeitpunkt um kein Tor zu niedrig - und so fügte sich am Ende auch das dritte Pflichtspiel nach der EM in den Trend. Die DFB-Spiel spielt so ästhetisch wie in Frankreich, dafür aber im entscheidenden Moment zwingender: Nach dem locker-lässigen 2:0 gegen Nordirland führt Jogi Löws Elf ihre Gruppe locker-lässig an.

Einen "irgendwie mühelosen Sieg" bilanzierte Joachim Löw später, und das Wort "irgendwie" sollte wohl darauf hinweisen, dass dieses Spiel bei aller deutschen Überlegenheit doch eine kuriose Versuchsanordnung war: "Nordirland hat nach dem 0:2 die Abwehr immer noch nicht entblößt und die Räume immer noch zugemacht", meinte Löw, "deshalb war es auch nicht ganz so leicht. Trotzdem haben wir in den letzten Tagen unsere Aufgaben erfüllt: Sechs Punkte in zwei Spielen geholt und noch kein Gegentor kassiert."

Selten habe ihm ein Länderspiel so viel Spaß gemacht wie jenes gegen die Tschechen, hatte Mats Hummels am vorigen Samstag gesagt; ein Satz, der nun auch die Taktik fürs Duell mit den Nordiren sachkundig zusammenfasste. Auch ins dritte Qualifikationsspiel startete die DFB-Elf mit sichtlichem Vergnügen, vor allem in der Anfangsphase ignorierten die Deutschen fröhlich die Reputation des Gegners. Nordirland, kampfstark, zäh? Mag sein, aber der Weltmeister kombinierte sich einfach lustig durch.

Schon nach vier Minuten kam der eher unter 1,90 m Mario Götze gegen die eher über 1,90 m großen Verteidiger zum Kopfball, aber Michael McGovern wurde erneut zum Spielverderber. Schon bei der EM hatte der Torwart von den zwei- bis dreihundert Torschüssen alle bis auf einen gehalten, und nun machte der freche Mensch gerade so weiter.

134

Aber nicht mal das nahm den Deutschen ihre anfängliche Spiellaune. In der 13. Minute zeigten sie eine Kombination, der auch kampfstarke, zähe Gegner und ein tapferer Torwart nur fasziniert zusehen können: Boateng verlagerte das Spiel mit einem seiner inzwischen berühmten Diagonalschläge, über Hector kam der Ball zu Özil, dessen Pass fand Müller, der den Ball zu Draxler weiterleitete: Und nur Draxler brauchte dann eine Winzigkeit Glück, er ließ seinen Schuss ein bisschen abfälschen, aber das 1:0 war schon zu diesem Zeitpunkt verdient.

Khediras erster Treffer seit dem WM-Halbfinale

Vier Minuten später gelang es der deutschen Elf, sich sogar aus einer Standardsituation einen Spaß zu machen: Kroos tippte einen Eckball kurz an, Özil flankte, wo Hummels den Ball per Kopf zu Khedira verlängerte, der den Ball vollends ins Tor setzte - dieses 2:0 roch schwer nach Brasilien, denn dort, bei der hochheiligen WM, hatten Löws Spieler zahlreiche einstudierte Standards ins Ziel gebracht.

Khediras Tor in Hannover war übrigens sein erstes in der Nationalmannschaft seit dem WM- Halbfinale, jenem legendären 7:1 gegen Brasilien. 1099 Tage waren seit jenem Tag vergangen - das hat am Dienstagabend in Hannover ein Statistiker errechnet, der offenkundig viel zu viel Zeit hat.

Hinter all dem Spaß steckte aber wieder eine ganze Menge Ernst, denn Löw und sein Team haben sich ja fest vorgenommen, diesmal ungestreifter durch die Qualifikation zu kommen als vor der EM. Auch die Aufstellung war Ausdruck dieser fast schon rührenden neuen Ernsthaftigkeit: Aus den wenigen Änderungen, die Löw für die Startelf angekündigt hatte, waren sehr, sehr wenige geworden; nämlich keine. Der zuletzt minimal angeschlagene Boateng lief ebenso von Beginn an auf wie Khedira, für den eigentlich Rückkehrer Gündogan im Team erwartet worden war. Erst später durften Özil und Boateng verschnaufen.

Irgendwann wurde es aber selbst den Deutschen zu viel mit ihrer eigenen Überlegenheit. Sie waren so dominant und so erkennbar in einer anderen Welt zu Hause als die Nordiren, dass sich allmählich ein paar Schlampigkeiten einschlichen. Nordirlands Angreifer Magennis fand plötzlich ein paar Räume in der deutschen Deckung, kurz vor der Pause wurde Evans von Boateng gerade noch gestoppt - Millimeter vor dem Strafraum, weshalb es Freistoß statt Elfmeter gab.

Für den Rest der Veranstaltung blieb dann weniger Lust übrig, die DFB-Elf war zu überlegen, um sich noch herausgefordert zu fühlen. Und die Nordiren waren mit Verteidigen so ausgelastet, dass sie zum Kontern keine Zeit hatten. Die Deutschen setzten Pass auf Pass auf Pass, sie spielten ernsthaft und kontrolliert, aber sie waren nicht mehr gezwungen, hinter die letzte Reihe zu kommen. Deshalb blieb's am Ende bei einem Ergebnis, das nur ein Tor höher ausfiel als in Paris.

Appendix 4: Article Sueddeutsche.de: San Marino - Germany

11. November 2016, 22:54 Uhr

Fußball Gnabry tanzt im Regen

Der Debütant von Werder Bremen glänzt beim lockeren 8:0 der deutschen Fußball- Nationalmannschaft in San Marino mit drei Treffern.

135

San Marino sei kein Gegner, mindestens zweistellig müsse das werden: Das waren die Sätze, die man vor diesem WM-Qualifikationsspiel der deutschen Nationalmannschaft in Serravalle zu hören bekam. Tatsächlich stellte sich dann heraus, dass die DFB-Elf in ihrer langen Geschichte schon den ein oder anderen besseren Gegner hatte, aber in einer Hinsicht hatte die öffentliche Meinung diesen Gastgeber unterschätzt. San Marino war ein fast unbezwingbarer Gegner für alle Reporter - bzw. für jene bedauernswerten Menschen, die immer diese Aufstellungs-Grafiken herzustellen haben.

Gegen diesen besonders kleinen Gegner würde Bundestrainer Löw seine Elf bestimmt auch besonders anordnen, das war die allgemeine Einschätzung - so gab eine Nachrichtenagentur ein Schema heraus, in dem nur ein einziger (!) Spieler in der Abwehr stand (Mats Hummels) und Joshua Kimmich auf dem rechten offensiven Flügel; eine andere Agentur machte den Debütanten Benjamin Henrichs zum Innenverteidiger in einer Dreierkette - gemessen an diesen abenteuerlichen Varianten geriet Löws Elf geradezu enttäuschend konservativ. Sein - auf den ersten Blick - fast klassisches 4-2-3-1 reichte aber selbstverständlich ebenfalls locker aus, um den Kleinsten der Kleinen mit 8:0 zu besiegen und die Führung in der Qualifikationsstabelle locker zu behaupten.

Besser als Brasilien wolle man sein, das hatten die Männer aus San Marino vor dem Spiel als Ziel ausgegeben und dabei eher nicht an die grundsätzliche Qualität gedacht. Gemeint war: Besser als Brasilien in Belo Horizonte im Juli 2014 - damals unterlagen die WM- Gastgeber der deutschen Elf, wie sich inzwischen herumgesprochen hat, mit 1:7. Am Ende verfehlte der 201. der Weltrangliste sein schönes Ziel - auch, weil die DFB-Elf bis zum Schluss konzentriert und seriös blieb.

Debüt für Henrichs und Gnabry

"Wir haben vor dem Spiel gesagt, wir wollen möglichst viele Tore erzielen und den Gegner ständig laufen lassen", sagte Löw später. So schickte der Bundestrainer auch gegen die naturgemäß überforderten Amateure eine mutige und sehr ernst gemeinte Elf aufs Feld - es war kein Widerspruch, dass er dabei den Neulingen Benjamin Henrichs (Bayer Leverkusen) und Serge Gnabry (Werder Bremen) vertraute. Natürlich war San Marino ein debüttauglicher Gegner, dennoch passten diese Personalien perfekt in die Logik dieses Abends. In Erwartung eines extrem defensiven Gegners hatte Löw alle Positionen extrem offensiv besetzt und fast alle Offensivspieler gebracht, die sein Kader hergab - auch den angriffslustigen Rechtsverteidiger Henrichs und den dribbelstarken Linksaußen Gnabry. Auf der Bank saßen nur zwei Offensive (Volland, Meyer) - ansonsten stapelten sich auf der Bank die Defensiven (Höwedes, Mustafi, Tah, Gerhardt, Goretzka, Rudy, Weigl), deren Qualitäten gegen diesen Gegner nicht gebraucht wurden.

Ein Abend mit ungewöhnlichen Torschützen

Es dauerte dann auch nur ein paar Sekunden, bis sich die taktische Formation von der Papierform emanzipierte, der Innenverteidiger Kimmich schob sich gleich weit ins zentrale Mittelfeld vor, der offensive Sechser Ilkay Gündogan wurde zum offensiven Zehner, und der Rechtsverteidiger Henrichs verwandelte sich in einen kessen Rechtsaußen. Fast hätte die Partie mit einem hübschen Anfängertor begonnen: Nach einer Minute und 58 Sekunden verfehlte Henrichs das Tor nur knapp, nach vier Minuten und 56 Sekunden scheiterte Gnabry.

Diese Anfangsoffensive reichte schon, um die Gastgeber zu erschrecken: Weitere vier Minuten und 56 Minuten später stand es bereits 2:0. Erst traf Sami Khedira, der Manuel Neuer als Kapitän vertrat, nach sehr coolem Heber von Gündogan, kurz darauf nutzte

136

Gnabry eine massive Verwirrung in der Abwehr zu einem trockenen 2:0. Das Spiel war nach zehn Minuten entschieden - beendet werden durfte es laut Reglement allerdings nicht, was der DFB-Elf weitere 80 Minuten im verwerflich kalten Adria-Regen bescherte. Und Joachim Löw weitere 80 Minuten unter einer Frisur ruinierenden Kapuze.

San Marino war nicht besser als Brasilien

Natürlich war der Gegner zu winzig, um Löw bahnbrechende Erkenntnisse zur Verfügung zu stellen, aber die Qualität seiner Neulinge ließen sich doch gut erkennen. Vor allem Gnabry sauste nach Herzenslust seine Flanke entlang, und er vergaß dabei keine Sekunde die richtige Richtung. Sein Drang zum Tor war bemerkenswert, auch wenn die DFB-Elf nun etwas Tempo herausnahm. Dennoch gelang Hector noch vor der Pause das 3:0 (32.).

Es war der Abend der ungewöhnlichen Torschützen: Während Gomez oder Müller in der Zehner-Abwehrkette der Gastgeber verloren gingen, legten Gnabry, Hector Gnabry und der eingewechselte Volland unter Zuhilfenahme eines Eigentors nach. Und wieder imponierte Gnabry - diesmal mit zwei anspruchsvollen Direktabnahmen.

Nein, San Marino war nicht besser als Brasilien, dafür sicherte sich aber Gnabry einen Rekord. Erstes Länderspiel, drei Tore: Diese Quote hatte nicht mal Gerd Müller.

Appendix 5: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Azerbaijan - Germany

26. März 2017, 20:09 Uhr

"Schon ein paar Nachlässigkeiten"

Schon nach zwölf Minuten gab es eine jener Szenen zu sehen, die man bei solchen Spielen insgeheim erwartet: Sami Khedira schaute schuldbewusst drein, als der Schiedsrichter auf ihn zumarschierte, und er protestierte nicht, als er die gelbe Karte empfing. Die mitgelieferte Statistik erklärte wohl, warum Khedira sich eher diskret ärgerte: Weil diese Karte es ihm ermöglichen könnte, früher seinen Jahresurlaub anzutreten. Khedira ist nun gesperrt, wenn es am 10. Juni gegen San Marino geht - und weil Joachim Löw ein paar hoch belastete Führungsspieler vom anschließenden Confederation Cup befreien möchte, dürfte Khedira das Aus gegen San Marino keine gröberen Albträume bereiten.

Ja, so ticken Profis normalerweise, aber wer Khediras Foul später noch mal analysierte, stellte fest: Es war mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit gar kein Urlaubsfoul. Es war ernst gemeint, Khedira musste in höchster Not einen eigenen Fehler ausbügeln.

Beim WM-Qualifikationsspiel in Baku landete die DFB-Elf am Ende einen sicher herausgespielten 4:1-Sieg, mit dem sie ihre makellose Führung in der Gruppe ausbaute. Aber es war zumindest anfangs kein Spiel, in dem man Urlaub buchen konnte, was Joachim Löw anschließend auch bemängelte: "Pflicht erfüllt", sagte der Bundestrainer, "aber es gab schon ein paar Nachlässigkeiten, die normalerweise nicht unserem Anspruch entsprechen." Das Team aus Aserbaidschan hat den San-Marino-Status ja längst hinter sich, die Elf von Trainer Robert Prosinecki wurde dem Favoriten Deutschland mit körperbetontem Spiel durchaus lästig. Die Gastgeber wussten: Wenn die Deutschen Raum haben und Tempo aufnehmen können, sind sie hoch überlegen - also taten die Aserbaidschaner alles, um dem Weltmeister Raum und Zeit vorzuenthalten. Eine Weile klappte das ganz gut, aber mitunter reicht ja ein einziger Moment, in dem der Plan nicht klappt, um sich aus der Partie zu verabschieden - wie in der 19. Minute, als die Deutschen von beidem zu viel bekamen: Sie hatten Raum und Zeit, um aus der eigenen Hälfte herauszukombinieren, über Julian Draxler

137 landete der Ball schließlich auf dem linken Flügel bei Jonas Hector, dessen Hereingabe Andre Schürrle zum 1:0 ins Netz drückte.

Löw durfte sich also gleich mal bestätigt fühlen in seiner rührenden Treue zu Schürrle, den er für den angeschlagenen Mesut Özil in die Startelf berufen hatte. Schürrle war eine von zwei Überraschungen in Löws Formation: Auch mit dem Einsatz des Leverkusen-Torwarts Bernd Leno hatten die Experten eher nicht gerechnet, aber Torwarttrainer Andreas Köpke wollte die Spiele gegen England und Aserbaidschan gerecht unter den Rivalen Leno und Marc-Andre ter Stegen aufteilen - auch, um zu demonstrieren, dass es hinter dem (diesmal angeschlagenen) Manuel Neuer keine klare Nummer zwei gibt.

Nach Schürrles 1:0 sah es nun doch so aus, als könnten die deutschen Spieler nebenher noch durch ein paar Urlaubsportale scrollen. Die Gastgeber wirkten nun etwas gebrochen, ihr Spiel war plötzlich viel weniger körperlich, aber vielleicht waren die Deutschen unbewusst doch schon zu sehr mit der einen oder anderen Buchungsbestätigung beschäftigt. Jedenfalls gaben sie den Gastgebern nun mal kurz Zeit und Raum, und den dazugehörigen Ball lieferte ihnen Thomas Müller. Nach einem Ballverlust des Bayern-Profis rollte der Gegenangriff, Toni Kroos und Jonas Hector joggten im Urlaubsmodus nebenher, was Dimitri Nazarov, im Klub- Alltag Linksaußen beim deutschen Zweitligisten Erzgebirge Aue, das überraschende 1:1 ermöglichte (31.).

Es war ein historisches Gegentor, weil es die längste gegentorfreie Phase der 109-jährigen DFB-Länderspielgeschichte beendete: Seit 678 Minuten hatte die Elf keinen Treffer mehr kassiert, der bis dahin letzte Torschütze gegen die DFB-Elf war Antoine Griezmann im EM- Halbfinale.

Man wolle die Qualifikation "gnadenlos durchziehen", hatte Löw vor der Partie gesagt, es ist inzwischen seine Lieblingsformulierung. Vor der vergangenen EM in Frankreich hatte die Elf die Qualifikation ja etwas verwackelt, was Löw diesmal unbedingt vermeiden will - er will in Russland dringend den WM-Titel verteidigen, und eine professionelle Qualifikations- Kampagne ist für ihn eine Art Einstimmung.

Im Moment kann Löw sich da auf seine Elf verlassen: Nur fünf Minuten Hoffnung gönnten seine Spieler dem Gegner, dann beschloss Müller, dass zu einer gnadenlosen Qualifikation auch gehört, eigene Fehler wieder gutzumachen. Vor dem 1:1 hatte er den Ball eingebüßt, nun profitierte er von einem ähnlichen Missgeschick des Gegners. Nun waren es die Deutschen, die einen blitzgeschwinden Gegenangriff inszenierten und über Schürrle und Müller wieder zur Führung kamen (36.). Und als Mario Gomez vor der Pause nach einer Flanke von Joshua Kimmich einen Kopfball sehr humorlos ins Tor drückte, war das Spiel endgültig entschieden.

In der zweiten Hälfte mussten die Deutschen dann nicht mehr gnadenlos sein, sie schonten nun sich und ein wenig auch die Gastgeber, die nun minütlich müder wurden. Schürrle durfte noch das 4:1 anfügen (80.), und den Rest spielten die Deutschen dann so professionell über die Bühne, dass sie nicht mal mehr auf die Idee kamen, sich gelbe Karten zu organisieren.

Appendix 6: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Germany – San Marino

10. Juni 2017, 23:06 Uhr

Wie ein König auf dem Thron

Von Sebastian Fischer, Nürnberg

138

Als es dann endlich so weit war, sollte kein San-Marinese mit Pferdeschwanz im Bild stehen, in seinem Bild. Das schien der Stürmer Sandro Wagner zu denken in jenem für ihn persönlich ja durchaus historischen Moment: Soeben war er nach einer Flanke von Joshua Kimmich mehr nach vorne getaucht als gesprungen, eine Art Flugkopfball. Wagner, 29, nach eigenen Angaben seit 29 Jahren bereit für diesen Moment, seit einer halben Woche Nationalspieler, war nun offiziell Torschütze für den Deutschen Fußball-Bund. Als die Kameras ihn zeigen sollten, da schubste er Juri Biordi einfach weg, den Abwehrchef von San Marino. Wagner reckte beide Hände in die Luft und lehnte sich nach hinten wie ein König auf seinem Thron.

Nein, dieses 7:0 der deutschen Nationalmannschaft gegen San Marino, der sechste Sieg im sechsten Spiel der WM-Qualifikation, wird die Fußballhistorie wohl eher nicht verändern. Aber es war immerhin ein schöner Abend für den Stürmer Wagner, der insgesamt drei Tore schoss. Historisch ist vielleicht, dass er nun schon mehr Tore für den DFB geschossen hat als, zum Beispiel, Mario Basler und Jörg Heinrich. Wagner war am Ende zufrieden - und was anderes war ja nicht wichtig. Oder?

Sandro Wagner ist von Beginn an der Fokus der Offensive

Vor dem Spiel hatten zwei Debatten die sommerlichen Auftritte des DFB begleitet, beide ließen sich in Nürnberg nicht ganz verstecken. Zwar bedeckte kurzzeitig eine riesige Deutschlandfahne vom Fan-Club powered by Coca-Cola die Haupttribüne. Doch als diese für das Spiel wieder verstaut war, waren die zahlreichen leeren Schalensitze im Nürnberger Stadion wieder gut sichtbar. Immerhin 32 467 Zuschauer wollten das Spiel sehen, doch hätte unter Woche Nürnbergs Bürgermeister keine wütenden Interviews ob des mäßigen Zuschauerinteresses gegeben, wären es wohl noch ein paar weniger gewesen.

Sehr gut zu sehen war außerdem das Plakat eines Mädchens, das sich auf der Haupttribüne in Sichtweite von Bundestrainer Joachim Löw postiert hatte. "Toni ich liebe dich!" stand auf der einen Seite geschrieben. Doch offenbar bei der Ansicht des deutschen Kaders, in dem Toni Kroos und viele weitere Stammspieler in diesem Sommer bekanntlich fehlen, hatte die junge Fußball-Liebhaberin sich zu einer Protestnote entschlossen: "Jogi, wo ist Toni?", untermalt von einem schlecht gelaunten Smiley. Alexej Sorokin, der russische Chef des Organisationskomitees des in einer Woche beginnenden Confed-Cups, ist also nicht der einzige, dem die Entscheidung des Bundestrainers missfällt, seine besten Spieler zu schonen.

Sobald das Spiel angepfiffen war, bemühten sich die deutschen Nationalspieler dann allerdings ziemlich rasch, Gedanken an das Aufgebot oder das Desinteresse an Spielen gegen San Marino zu zerschlagen. Die Gäste schafften es während der gesamten Partie kein einziges Mal über die Mittellinie. Wenn es es so etwas wie eine sportliche Erkenntnis gibt nach einem Spiel mit maximal vorhersehbaren Ergebnis, dann ist es die, dass elf dafür auserkorene Spieler auch auf solche Spiele gerade ziemlich viel Lust zu haben scheinen. Und damit zurück zu Sandro Wagner.

Und die Fans singen: "Oh, wie ist das schön"

Der Stürmer der TSG Hoffenheim war von Beginn an der Fokus der deutschen Offensive. Am Ende pausenlos vorgetragener Angriffe flankte immer irgendjemand - und am Rande des Fünfmeterraums lauerte, rangelte und wuselte Wagner. Nach 16 Minuten, es stand schon 1:0 nach einem Tor von Julian Draxler, traf er zum 2:0.

Nach 20 Minuten war er schon der Spieler, der in die Hände klatschte und laut "Ey!" in die Runde rief - ein im Fußball traditionell den Wortführern einer Mannschaft gebührendes Privileg. Nach 22 Minuten entschieden sich die begeisterungswilligen unter den gut 30 000

139 für die erste La-Ola-Welle. Nach 29 Minuten traf Wagner erneut. Nach 36 Minuten trat Draxler einen Freistoß auf den Kopf von Leon Goretzka anstatt auf Wagner. Draxler hatte da wohl etwas falsch verstanden.

In der Folge trafen Amin Younes sowie nach der Pause Shkodran Mustafi und Julian Brandt. Vor allem für Younes, den Flügelstürmer von Ajax Amsterdam, war es eine schöne Sache. Klang sein Nachname beim Verlesen der Aufstellung zu Beginn aus dem Mund der Zuschauer noch sehr zaghaft, ging am Ende niemand nach Hause, ohne ihn zu kennen.

Und Sandro Wagner? Traf noch einmal den Pfosten und nach 72 Minuten vergab er eine riesige Chance. Doch nach 85 Minuten flankte mal wieder Joshua Kimmich, es war seine vierte Torvorlage des Abends. In der Mitte sprang Wagner in die Luft, diesmal wirklich, und lenkte den Ball an den Innenpfosten, ein perfekter Kopfball. "Oh, wie ist das schön", sangen ein paar Fans, "so was hat man lange nicht gesehen." Und wer weiß? Vielleicht meinten sie das ja sogar ernst.

Appendix 7: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Czech Republic - Germany

1. September 2017, 23:19 Uhr

Der einsame Kampf des Mats Hummels

Von Christof Kneer, Prag

Dies werde der härteste Konkurrenzkampf seiner Amtszeit, hat Joachim Löw in diesen Tagen gesagt, und das ist schon ein historischer Satz, wenn man bedenkt, dass Löw die Geschäfte kurz nach dem Wunder von Bern übernommen haben muss. Kaum war der Satz raus, setzte das Getuschel in der Branche ein: Was meint er? Müssen nun etwa auch die alten Helden zittern, Khedira oder Boateng oder Müller oder Özil? Die beiden Ersteren entzogen sich dieser Debatte elegant durch eine kleinere Verletzung und einen größeren Trainingsrückstand, aber die anderen beiden durften dann doch beruhigt sein: Natürlich spielten Thomas Müller und Mesut Özil beim ersten Pflichtspiel der deutschen Nationalmannschaft in der Saison 2017/2018.

Dennoch war Löws Aufstellung beim WM-Qualispiel in Prag ein Statement: Zwar sieht der Mann im Moment verständlicherweise keinen Grund, seine alten Helden anzugreifen, aber dennoch hielt Löws erste Elf seiner Konkurrenzkampf-These stand. Auf der Bank saßen verdiente Männer wie Julian Draxler oder Mario Gomez, von Anfang an vertraute Löw dagegen auf die Confed-Cup-Entdeckungen Lars Stindl und Timo Werner. Löws Elf sah aus wie ein Mix aus alten und neuen Zeiten, und sie spielte dann auch wie ein Mix - allerdings wie einer, den Löw so eher nicht geplant hatte.

Nach sehr gutem Beginn verlor eine allzu optimistisch aufgestellte Elf immer mehr ihre Linie und kam nur dank eines späten Kopfballtores von Mats Hummels zu einem 2:1-Sieg. Mit einem Sieg gegen Norwegen am Montag kann die DFB-Elf die Qualifikation nun perfekt machen. "Mit der Art und Weise, wie wir gespielt haben, können wir definitiv nicht so sehr zufrieden sein", sagte Löw. "Wir haben uns das Leben selber schwer gemacht mit unseren Aktionen."

Hummels war manchmal eine Einerkette

140

Dabei dauerte es nicht mal fünf Minuten, bis sich die Zeiten erst mal aufs Harmonischste verbanden: Hummels (alte Zeit) knöpfte dem Bremer Tschechen Gebre Selassie den Ball ab und spielte direkt auf Özil (alte Zeit), dessen hübsche Vorlage Timo Werner (neue Zeit) zum 1:0 für die Gäste verwandelte.

Wer nun aufs Feld sah, hätte meinen können, Deutschland spiele mal wieder gegen San Marino oder Gibraltar: Löw hatte sein Team so angeordnet, wie er das gerne gegen die eher niedlichen Gegner tut. Zwar hatte er offiziell eine Dreierabwehr (Kimmich-Hummels-Ginter) formiert und ihr zwei Außen an die Seite komponiert (Brandt, Hector), aber allein die Nominierung des ausschließlichen Offensivspielers Brandt zeigte, welcher Idee diese sogenannte Abwehrkette entsprang: der Idee, dass eine Abwehr in so einem Spiel scho au überflüssig ist, wie Löw vermutlich sagen würde. Normalerweise schalten sich bei dieser Versuchsanordnung die Außenverteidiger gerne mal mit nach vorne ein, wie das in der Fachsprache heißt; an diesem Abend spielten die Außenverteidiger aber sowieso Außenstürmer, und die Innenverteidiger Ginter und Kimmich schalteten sich ständig mit ein. Mats Hummels war manchmal eine Einerkette.

"Defensiv war es nicht so optimal, wie wir verteidigt haben"

Sehr offensiv, sehr mutig und hoch flexibel: So begann also diese deutsche Elf in der EdenArena in Prag, aber diese beeindruckende Kombination hielt sie nicht sehr lange durch. Lag es daran, dass ein derart anspruchsvoller Spielplan von Spielern ausgeführt wurde, die am Beginn einer Saison alle noch ein bisschen ihre Sicherheit suchen? Lag es daran, dass halt doch ein paar Symmetriestifter wie Khedira oder der auf der Bank sitzende Sebastian Rudy fehlten oder eine Respektsperson wie der ebenfalls auf der Bank sitzende Leon Goretzka? Lag es daran, dass es sich beim Gegner an diesem Abend beim zweiten Hinsehen eben doch nicht um Gibraltar, sondern nachweislich um Tschechien handelte?

Vermutlich war es eine Mischung aus allem - zwischen der 15. und 20. Minute kamen die Tschechen jedenfalls zu drei, vier guten Tormöglichkeiten, und womöglich wunderten sie sich selbst, wie unfallfrei sie da durchs deutsche Mittelfeld kamen. Es war dann doch nicht zu übersehen, dass Löws Elf im Zentrum eine Autorität fehlte: Hummels kämpfte einen einsamen Kampf, vor ihm spielte ein Dreiermittelfeld bestehend aus Kroos, Müller und Özil, deren defensives Gewissen eher so mittel ausgeprägt ist. "Defensiv war es nicht so optimal, wie wir verteidigt haben", sagte Löw. Mats Hummels wollte zudem so viele Ballverluste gesehen haben wie bei keiner deutschen Nationalelf in den "letzten zehn Jahren".

Löw sah sich zu einer Reaktion gezwungen, die er nicht liebt

So blieb die DFB-Elf für den Rest der ersten Hälfte natürlich die technisch bessere Mannschaft, aber durch die zahlreichen Positionswechsel fand sie nie zu einer klaren Struktur. Auch in der zweiten Hälfte änderte sich das Bild zunächst kaum: Zwar hatten die Deutschen das, was jede Mannschaft hat, bei der Toni Kroos mitspielt, nämlich mehr Ballbesitz; aber nach einer Stunde lagen die Tschechen in der Torschussstatistik vorn (12:8). Löw sah sich zu einer Reaktion gezwungen, die er nicht liebt: Er wechselte defensiv, brachte Abwehrspieler Antonio Rüdiger für den offensiven Brandt. Die Deutschen brachten das Spiel zunächst wieder einigermaßen unter Kontrolle, aber zu Torchancen kamen sie weiterhin kaum.

Dafür die Tschechen, die weiterhin auf zu wenig Widerstand im deutschen Mittelfeld trafen: Daridas herrliches Rückraumtor zum 1:1 (78.) war nur der letzte Beleg dafür. Und nun wechselte Löw nochmal defensiv, brachte Emre Can für Werner. Er wollte den Flow der Tschechen brechen und eine Niederlage vermeiden. Am Ende schaffte er sogar den Sieg - durch ein Kopfballtor jenes Mannes, der sich lange am meisten gewehrt hatte.

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Appendix 8: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Germany - Norway

4. September 2017, 23:14 Uhr

Löw wählt den Feinschmecker-Fußball

Von Johannes Knuth

In der 57. Minute wollte dann auch der Abwehrspieler Mats Hummels an dem fröhlichen Treiben auf dem Stuttgarter Rasen teilhaben. Fünf deutsche Tore waren bereits gefallen in dieser WM-Qualifikationsübung gegen Norwegen, eines betörender als das andere, und nun fühlte sich auch Hummels dazu berufen, eine Bewerbung für einen Treffer zu hinterlegen. Er stellte sich geschickt an, schirmte seinen Gegenspieler ab, leitete eine Flanke Richtung Tor weiter - der Ball strich knapp am linken Pfosten vorbei. Es wäre wohl einer der schönsten Treffer dieses torreichen Montagabends gewesen. Wenn auch für die Norweger.

Es war am Ende eine heitere Fußnote, dass Hummels mit dieser Einlage im eigenen Strafraum die größte Gefahr für die deutsche Nationalelf heraufbeschwor - jener Hummels, der zuvor gefordert hatte, man müsse die Partie nach dem rumpeligen 2:1 am Freitag gegen Tschechien besser kontrollieren. Seine Kollegen kamen dem Auftrag jedenfalls nach, sie schlugen überforderte Norweger 6:0 (4:0). Es war der achte Sieg im achten Spiel, der nur deshalb noch nicht den Zutritt zur WM sicherte, weil Nordirland gegen Tschechien gewann. Ein Zähler ist noch ausstehend, bei zwei Partien. Dafür gönnten sich die Deutschen in Stuttgart auch Wellness fürs Gemüt, nach der rauen Dienstreise in Tschechien. "Wir haben dort nicht unser bestes Spiel gemacht", sagte Julian Draxler, "daher haben wir von Beginn an losgelegt. Für unsere Spielweise hatten wir natürlich auch einen dankbaren Gegner und mehr Räume als sonst." Bundestrainer Joachim Löw assistierte: "Das war eine tolle Stimmung, es hat viel Spaß gemacht in Stuttgart.

Das zeigt die Schönheit des Fußballs." Löw hatte im Vergleich zum lauwarmen Vortrag in Prag drei Mal gewechselt; Matthias Ginter, Julian Brandt und Lars Stindl rückten aus der Startelf heraus, Draxler, Sebastian Rudy und Antonio Rüdiger hinein. Der Bundestrainer schaffte zudem die zuletzt wackelige Dreierkette ab, komponierte eine Viererreihe mit Hummels und Rüdiger im Zentrum, Joshua Kimmich und Jonas Hector auf den Flügeln. Davor wachten Toni Kroos und in Rudy ein zweiter Sechser, der dem Spiel eine bessere Statik verleihen sollte. Davon profitierten auch die Zulieferer in der Offensive: Thomas Müller, Mesut Özil und Draxler; Timo Werner war erneut einzige Spitze.

Wer auf diese Formation getippt hätte, hätte vermutlich eine schicke Summe aus der Wettstube getragen. Andererseits verwaltet Löw in diesen Tagen ja einen unerhörten Reichtum an hochbegabtem Personal, das er immer wieder neu kombiniert - und dessen einzige Tücke offenbar darin besteht, dass man bei diesem Überfluss an edlen Zutaten ab und zu schon mal etwas schwer Genießbares kocht. Wie gegen Tschechien. Aber gegen Norwegen war Löws Kreation schon wieder etwas für Feinschmecker.

Wie ein Boxer, der den frühen Knockout sucht

Der deutsche Spielaufbau war von der ersten Minute an strebsamer und ziviler, wobei Norwegen auch kaum Expeditionen in die fremde Hälfte unternahm. Rüdiger, Kimmich und Hummels schlugen Flanken diagonal in die Spitze, um die norwegische Zentrale auseinanderzuziehen. Was auch prächtig gelang. Und wenn Özil, Müller und Draxler der Ball doch einmal abhandenkam, hatte es den Anschein, als sei im Spielgerät ein Magnet versteckt, der immer eine Handvoll deutscher Spieler anzog. Die deutsche Führung war

142 dann eine Mischung aus all diesen Tugenden, Hummels verarbeitete einen Ballgewinn vor der Mittellinie, bediente Kroos. Der verlagerte das Spiel auf den linken Flügel, verschaffte Özil so etwas Platz im Zentrum, wo Özil dann die Flanke von Hector in Empfang nahm und sie mit einer Direktabnahme veredelte - 1:0 (10.).

Die deutsche Elf versuchte das Spiel nun gleich zu entscheiden, wie ein Boxer, der den frühen Knockout sucht. Draxler verursachte den zweiten Wirkungstreffer, in der 17. Minute. Wieder stürzte ein langer Ball die norwegische Verteidigung ins Chaos, Werner - im Abseits - legte den Ball zurück auf Özil, am Ende der Verwertungskette wartete Draxler, der sich einmal elegant drehte und flach einschob. Das 3:0 resultierte aus einem Ballgewinn nach frühem Pressing, Kroos trug den Ball nach vorne, Müller leitete den Ball per Hacke zu Werner. Die Zweikampfführung der Norweger erfüllte spätestens jetzt den Tatbestand der unterlassenen Hilfeleistung, mit Torwart Rune Jarstein von Hertha BSC als Leidtragenden. Das 4:0 lieferte einen weiteren Beleg. Müller schlug eine Flanke in den Strafraum, Werner, 1,81 Meter groß, stieg ohne Geleitschutz zum Kopfball empor - 4:0 (40.). Norwegen rettete sich mit dem Halbzeitgong in die Pause. "Wenn du keine hundertprozentige Mannschaftsleistung hast, ist es schwer gegen so eine Mannschaft", sagte Norwegens Trainer Lars Lagerbäck später. Er befand, ohne Übertreibung: "Es war eine Lehrstunde für uns."

Löw bezeugte derweil nicht nur "tolle Kombinationen und Tore". Er sah am Montagabend auch wieder eine Elf, die ein Mix aus alten und neuen Zeiten ist - in dem diesmal aber das Beste aus beiden Welten verschmolz. Leon Goretzka, einer der Besten beim jüngst gewonnenen Confed Cup in Russland, vertrat in der zweiten Hälfte Thomas Müller, und fügte sich mit dem Kopfball zum 5:0 in die deutsche Festgemeinde ein. Der geschonte Weltmeister Sami Khedira kam nach einer Stunde für Rudy, Mario Gomez für den jungen Werner; zehn Minuten später drückte Gomez eine Flanke von Kimmich ins Tor. 6:0. Gäbe es im Fußball einen technischen K.o., der Schiedsrichter hätte ihn spätestens jetzt ausgesprochen. Norwegen kam selbst bis zum Schlusspfiff kaum zu Chancen - die beste vergab Hummels mit seinem Beinahe-Eigentor.

Appendix 9: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Northern Ireland - Germany

5. Oktober 2017, 23:30 Uhr

Löw päppelt seine Nationalspieler auf

Von Philipp Selldorf, Belfast

Die großen Bayern in der Krise, der deutsche Vereinsfußball im fortgeschrittenen Zerfallsstadium? Die Anhänger der nordirischen Nationalmannschaft wagten dank der aktuellen Nachrichtenlage mehr Zuversicht als je zuvor, als sie zu Tausenden quer durch Belfast zum Windsor Park pilgerten, erfrischt durch regelmäßige Regenschauer und gestärkt durch geistige Getränke, die am Wegesrand aufgenommen wurden. Singend zogen sie ins Stadion ein, und singend verließen sie es auch wieder, aber es waren keine Triumphlieder, denn der deutsche Patient hat in der Obhut von Doktor Löw gleich mal wieder auf den Pfad der Besserung gefunden.

Der 3:1-Sieg in Belfast dient dabei nicht nur als Mittel gegen akute Beschwerden - er verhilft der DFB-Auswahl auch zur Zulassung für die Weltmeisterschaft 2018 in Russland. Im neunten Spiel der Qualifikationsgruppe C der neunte Sieg: an dieser Bilanz ist schwerlich etwas auszusetzen. "Ich bin schon zufrieden. Wir haben nach dem frühen 1:0 schnell nachgelegt", sagte Joachim Löw in einer ersten Stellungnahme. Sebastian Rudy, der für

143 dieses frühe 1:0 verantwortlich war, sah sich prompt zu einer kleinen Regierungserklärung ermuntert: "Wir haben das Spiel die ganze Zeit dominiert. Nach Russland fahren wir, um was zu reißen", sagte er: "Wir wollen den Titel dort erfolgreich verteidigen."

Die in Verruf geratenen Bayern hatte der Bundestrainer in umfassender Fürsorge fast im halben Dutzend in sein Team eingebaut; er nominierte sämtliche Münchner, die sein Kader hergab, Jérôme Boateng kam somit nach einem Jahr Länderspielpause zum Comeback. Dazu nahm Löw mit dem in Hoffenheim beschäftigten Sandro Wagner und Marvin Plattenhardt von Hertha BSC zwei (ebenfalls europacupgeschädigte) Spieler in die Startaufstellung auf, die nach ihren Gastspielen beim Confed Cup schon ein wenig als abgeschrieben galten. Während sich darüber noch mancher Experte wunderte, stand es schon 1:0 für die Deutschen, nach nicht mal anderthalb gespielten Minuten. Ein Querschläger aus dem nordirischen Strafraum war bei Sebastian Rudy gelandet, der den Ball umgehend ins Netz beförderte. Schusshaltung und Schusstechnik gaben Anlass zur Bewunderung, man darf von einem traumhaften Tor sprechen.

Auf den Rängen herrschte für eine Weile Stille, jedoch nicht länger als ein Dutzend Atemzüge. Dann feuerten die enorm patriotischen nordirischen Fans ihre Mannschaft wieder an, die sich davon aber auch nicht aus der Deckung locken ließ. Sie behielt ihre gewohnt strenge Ordnung bei und überließ den Gästen weite Teile des Terrains ohne Gegenwehr, weil sie damit beschäftigt war, rund um den eigenen Strafraum Mauern zu bilden. Mats Hummels geriet somit in die seltsame Lage, dass er tief in der gegnerischen Hälfte immer wieder der letzte Mann vor Torwart Marc-André ter Stegen war.

Wagner antwortet auf die Buhrufe

Die deutsche Mannschaft spielte nun in Ruhe ihr Spiel, der Druck, die nordirische Bastion durchbrechen zu müssen, war ihr durch den frühen Treffer genommen. Man hatte mit größeren Schwierigkeiten gerechnet. Den Aufbau der Offensive teilten sich Toni Kroos und Sebastian Rudy einvernehmlich und auf eine so vertraute Art, dass man meinen konnte, nach den Benders hätte nun ein neues Zwillingspaar die Arbeit im Nationalteam aufgenommen. Leon Goretzka musste sich dagegen vernachlässigt vorkommen. Er fand auf der halbrechten Position im vorderen Mittelfeld keinen Anschluss ans Geschehen und musste als erster Wechselfall seinen Platz für Emre Can räumen.

Mehr Anteilnahme war dem ehrgeizig engagierten Mittelstürmer Sandro Wagner vergönnt. Nach fünf Minuten verfehlte er mit einem Brustschubser gegen den Ball das 2:0 nur knapp (kurios, da doch eben diese Brust ständig stolzgeschwellt ist), in der 17. Minute traf er mit einem Kopfball den Pfosten und kurz darauf nach Meinung des heimischen Publikums den falschen Ton - er hatte sich über einen Zweikampf beschwert. Die Buhrufe zahlte er den Leuten sofort heim: Mit dem Tor zum 2:0 nämlich, das er aussehen ließ wie das Erledigen einer allzu leichten Übungsaufgabe (21.).

So war die Partie ziemlich zügig in die von Doktor Löw gewünschte Lage versetzt, und daran sollte sich in der restlichen Zeit auch nicht mehr viel ändern. Die Nordiren gingen zwar hin und wieder in die Vorwärtsverteidigung über, die Deutschen wussten damit aber gut umzugehen. Die Chance zur Wende verpasste Connor Washington, als er freistehend den Ball an die Oberkante der Latte drückte. (76.). Dabei hatte er zuvor nacheinander Hummels und Boateng ausgetanzt, die in dieser Szene aussahen, als seien sie in Bayern-Form. Ihr Mannschaftskollege Joshua Kimmich zerstreute diese Erinnerungen, indem er per Volley das 3:0 erschuf (86.), ehe Nordirlands Josh Magennis den Ehrentreffer besorgte. Und die Gesänge der Fans noch einmal anhoben.

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Appendix 10: Article Sueddeutsche.de: Germany - Azerbaijan

8. Oktober 2017, 23:17 Uhr

Zehn von zehn - besser geht's nicht

Von Philipp Selldorf, Kaiserslautern

Vorher viel Pomp und viel Andrang auf dem Rasen: Fahnen mit Nationalfarben (für die beiden Teams), Fahnen mit Sternen (für die vier WM-Titel), eine Fahne mit Stern (für den Hauptsponsor), Fanfarenklänge und eine Big Band der Bundeswehr - das Gepränge könnte beim Staatsfeiertag mit Präsident und Kanzlerin nicht größer sein. Aber zumindest während der ersten Halbzeit gab eine chaotisch agierende deutsche (B-)Mannschaft keinen Anlass für feierliche Gefühle. Erst die viertelstündige Beruhigungspause versetzte den Gastgeber in die Lage, die bisher makellose WM-Qualifikation standesgemäß zu Ende zu bringen. Der 5:1- Sieg gegen Aserbaidschan markiert den zehnten Sieg im zehnten Spiel, besser geht's nicht.

Wie angekündigt, hatte der Bundestrainer erheblich umgebaut in seiner Elf. Aus der Mannschaft, die 3:1 in Belfast gewonnen hatte, blieben nur Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Thomas Müller und Sandro Wagner übrig. Auf eine klassische Abwehrreihe verzichtete Löw. Niklas Süle und Shkodran Mustafi sollten es allein richten, Kimmich unterstützte von der rechten Seite aus, von der erneuten Aufstellung des Linksverteidigers Marvin Plattenhardt sah der Bundestrainer (ausdrücklich?) ab. Die Linie bediente stattdessen der Angreifer Leroy Sané.

Viele hatten ein langweiliges Spiel erwartet, die Erfüllung einer Pflichtaufgabe. Aber die erste Halbzeit war äußerst abwechslungsreich, von deutscher Seite allerdings vorwiegend unfreiwillig. Das erste Alarmzeichen setzte Süle mit einem Stockfehler, bei dem er sich obendrein den Muskel zerrte, er spielte aber zunächst weiter. Dann folgte das 1:0, ein Tor der Sonderklasse: Goretzka traf mit einem aufgesetzten Hackentrick fast in den Torwinkel (9. Minute). Jubelstimmung kam auf, man erwartete ein lustiges Torfestival.

Stattdessen häuften sich die Momente, in denen Jogi Löw seinen Unterstand verließ, um an der Seitenlinie seinen Ärger loszuwerden. Wie ein Lehrer schwenkte er den Zeigefinger, eher drohend als bloß mahnend, aber Ruhe und Disziplin wollten sich deshalb nicht einstellen im konfusen, hochnervösen deutschen Spiel. Professionelle Ordnungshüter wie Toni Kroos und Sebastian Rudy wurden schmerzlich vermisst. Vor allem die Hinterleute Süle und Mustafi sowie ihr Verbindungsmann Emre Can formierten sich zum Panikorchester, Torwart Bernd Leno machte fleißig mit. Einheimische, die eine Pause von den Untaten ihres FCK erhofft hatten, stöhnten auf. Auch das Wiedersehen mit Angreifer Wagner, der einst in der Pfalz nicht glücklich wurde, fiel erst mal zwiespältig aus: Nach einem tollen Doppelpass zwischen Stindl und Müller traf der Mittelstürmer erst den Pfosten des leeren Tores und setzte dann auch den Abpraller daneben.

Der angeschlagene Süle hatte inzwischen das Feld geräumt, aber sein Nachfolger Antonio Rüdiger machte dort weiter, wo sein Vorgänger aufgehört hatte. Mit Folgen: Im Zweikampf mit Aserbaidschans Linksaußen Ramil Sheydaev hatte Rüdiger mehrere Male das Nachsehen, und schließlich lag der Ball im Netz, weil Leno dabei denkbar schlecht aussah. Zu allem Überfluss verletzte sich Mustafi; Matthias Ginter ersetzte ihn. Es war die Pointe einer denkwürdigen, aber aus deutscher Sicht unerwünschten ersten Halbzeit.

Jogi Löw wirkt zwischenzeitlich verstört

145

Mangel an gutem Willen brauchte der Bundestrainer nicht beklagen, daran hatte es nicht gelegen; bei einigen Spielern, Sané zum Beispiel, artete es vielmehr in Übereifer aus. Die schnellen Sololäufe des Linksaußen zeigten auf Dauer immerhin zermürbende Wirkung beim Gegner, und mit etwas Anlauf setzte sich nun auch die Klasse der deutschen Spieler durch. Nach ein paar vergebenen Chancen gelang Wagner mit einem Kopfball die erneute Führung (55.), Rüdiger legte nach Kimmichs Eckstoß ebenfalls per Kopf nach (64.), Goretzka erhöhte auf 4:1 (66.).

Zwischendurch ein technisch anspruchsvoller Schuss gegen den Pfosten von Stindl (60.) - die Deutschen hatten jetzt nicht nur Kontrolle über den Gegner, sondern auch über sich selbst. Kapitän Müller, verbessert gegenüber dem unglücklichen Auftritt in Nordirland, durfte Feierabend machen, als Nachfolger setzte er Kimmich ein. Emre Cans Gewaltschuss zum 5:1 - es war sein erstes Tor für die DFB-Elf - ließ dann sogar den zwischenzeitlich verstörten Bundestrainer wieder lachen.

Appendix 11: Article Bild.de: Norway – Germany

Doppelpack! Endlich müllert Müller wieder veröffentlicht am 04.09.2016 - 22:33 Uhr

Elf Monate erzielt Thomas Müller (27) kein Pflichtspieltor für die Nationalelf (zuletzt im Oktober 2015 beim 2:1 gegen Georgien), geht auch bei der EM in Frankreich in allen sechs Spielen leer aus.

Im BILD-Interview am Samstag kündigt er ein Ende der Müller-Krise an, sagt: „Es wird Zeit, wieder zu treffen.“ Jetzt meldet er sich mit einem Doppelpack im ersten Spiel der WM- Qualifikation zurück.

Gesagt, getan, gefeiert.

15. Minute: Özil spielt Müller zehn Meter vorm Norwegen-Kasten an. Beim ersten Versuch im Fallen erwischt Müller den Ball nicht voll, der Schuss wird abgewehrt. Müller rappelt sich schnell wieder auf, zieht sofort mit links noch mal ab. Torhüter Jarstein ist zwar mit einer Hand dran, kann den Ball aber nicht abwehren – 1:0.

Kimmich sorgt nach einem Traumpass von Müller mit seinem ersten Länderspieltor für das 2:0 und die frühe Vorentscheidung (45.). Dann schlägt Müller wieder zu...

60. Minute: Khedira kann von der rechten Seite ungestört flanken. Müller rauscht heran, wuchtet die Kugel mit dem Kopf aus acht Metern zu 3:0 ins Tor. Schade, dass er solche Dinger bei der EM nicht gemacht hat...

Der Weltmeister startet mit einem klaren Sieg in die Qualifikation für die WM 2018 in Russland, übernimmt gleich die Tabellenführung.

Bundestrainer Jogi Löw: „Ich bin absolut zufrieden, wir haben das Spiel dominiert. Für Thomas Müller freue ich mich, dass er, nachdem er bei der EM einige Chancen hat liegen lassen, wieder getroffen hat.“

Tor-Held Müller: „Wir hätten noch ein paar Tore mehr machen können, haben mit unserer Qualität immer noch Luft nach oben.“ Sein Tor zum 1:0 beschreibt er so: „Da war endlich das

146

Quäntchen Glück wieder da, was man als Torjäger braucht. Wenn man trifft, hat man seine Ruhe und kann sich mit seinen Jungs aufs Fußballspielen konzentrieren.“

Was ist gut (außer, dass Müller wieder trifft)?

► Die Löw-Elf macht gleich klar, dass sie sich nicht – wie bei der EM – durch die Qualifikation wurschteln will.

► Özil kann auch gegen „kleinere“ Mannschaften glänzen. Gegen Gegner wie Norwegen taucht er ja sonst schon mal ab.

► In der Norwegen-Hälfte läuft die Kugel richtig gut. Geduldig suchen vor allem Kroos, Özil und Khedira die Löcher in der Abwehr, schlagen dann eiskalt zu.

Was ist nicht so gut?

► In der Abwehr leisten sich Hummels und Hector einige Abspielfehler. Gegen stärkere Gegner kann das schief gehen.

► Von Götze als „falsche Neun“ ist nicht viel zu sehen. Es wird Zeit, dass Gomez wieder fit wird.

Appendix 12: Article Bild.de: Germany – Czech Republic

Müller ballert, Jogi zaubert

Artikel von: MATHIAS SONNENBERG, CHRISTIAN KYNAST, HEIKO NIEDDERER, TIMM DETERING, JÖRG WEILER und DENNIS BROSDA (Fotos) veröffentlicht am 08.10.2016 - 22:36 Uhr

Das erlebt auch ein Weltmeister-Trainer nicht alle Tage: Beifall auf offener Szene vom ausverkauften Stadion. Nicht für einen Spieler, sondern für ihn!

Jogi Löw (56) stoppte einen ins Aus fliegenden Ball an der Seitenlinie lässig mit der Hacke (32.). Lauter Jubel im Volksparkstadion, denn dieser Moment passte zum Spitzen-Auftritt unserer Mannschaft mit drei Toren gegen Tschechien.

Hacke, Spitze, eins-zwei-drei!

Spielerisch ein Genuss, was der Weltmeister gegen angenehm offensiv aufgestellte Tschechen auf den Hamburger Rasen zauberte. Mehrfach war auch die Hacke (Boateng, Khedira, Hummels) am flüssigen Kombinationsspiel beteiligt. La Ola wogte durchs Stadion!

Abwehr-Boss Jérôme Boateng am RTL-Mikro: „Wir haben sehr gut kombiniert, hatten viele Abschlüsse und haben sie laufen lassen.“

Und auch Jogi Löw lobte: „Heute kann man schon sehr zufrieden sein, wir hatten das Spiel von Beginn an unter Kontrolle. War toll, hier zu spielen.“

Die Tschechen (Platz 33 der Welt) völlig überfordert, sie forderten Manuel Neuer in seinem zweiten Spiel als neuer Kapitän nur einmal: Klasse-Reaktion des Münchners bei einem 16- Meter-Kracher von Dockal (63.).

147

Nach diesen 90 Minuten freuen wir uns auf Dienstag, das nächste Spiel der Quali zur WM 2018, in Hannover gegen Nordirland. Da kann Jogi mit dem dritten Sieg im dritten Gruppenspiel schon einen Riesenschritt zur WM 2018 machen.

Alle drei Tore waren herrlich heraus gespielt!

►13. Minute: Götze passt von links in den Strafraum, Özil leitet weiter. Müller schließt mit rechts scharf und direkt ab – 1:0!

►49. Minute: Kimmich flach von rechts in den Fuß von Kroos. Der zirkelt den Ball ebenfalls direkt mit rechts flach rein – 2:0!

►65. Minute: Özil schickt links Hector steil. Der Kölner flankt von der Grundlinie auf Müller. Auch diesmal ein Direktschuss, das 3:0! Note 1 für Müller!

Übrigens: Als Glücksbringer trägt Müller die Schienbeinschoner von Poldi auf.

Immer wieder an den Kombinationen beteiligt: Mario Götze. Der Dortmund-Heimkehrer nicht nur beim BVB, sondern auch im Nationaltrikot mit klarem Aufwärtstrend. Vergessen der Bayern-Frust!

So war es ein Hacke-Spitze-Klasse-Abend für Löw. Mit seinem 140. Spiel auf der Bank überholte er DFB-Legende Helmut Schön (139). Und holte seinen 94. Sieg (23 Unentschieden, 23 Niederlagen). Weltmeisterliche Zahlen!

Appendix 13: Article Bild.de: Germany – Northern Ireland

Jogi hat schon das WM-Grinsen veröffentlicht am 11.10.2016 - 22:36 Uhr

Der Weltmeister kommt langsam in WM-Form!

611 Tage vor dem Eröffnungsspiel in Moskau gewinnt Deutschland vor 42132 Fans in Hannover auch gegen Nordirland 2:0.

Jogi hat schon das WM-Grinsen!

Mit dunkelblauem Sakko, schwarzem Rollkragenpulli und schwarz-grauem Schal steht Bundestrainer Joachim Löw (56) an der Seitenlinie und freut sich über die bisher perfekte WM-Quali.

Drei Spiele, drei Siege, 8:0 Tore – die DFB-Auswahl führt die Gruppe C mit neun Punkten souverän vor Aserbaidschan (0:0 in Tschechien) an. Und bleibt in der WM-Quali seit über 15 Jahren ungeschlagen. Damals gab's ein 1:5 gegen England, (1.9.2001). Kann gerne bis zum Turnier in Russland so bleiben!

Kapitän Manuel Neuer (30): „Der Rekord ist schön für uns. Das Spiel gegen Tschechien war ein bisschen besser, wir haben aber nichts anbrennen lassen. Vielleicht hat noch das dritte Tor gefehlt, um noch glücklicher zu sein.“

148

Deutschland 112 Tage nach dem 1:0 in der EM-Vorrunde gegen die Nordiren (Tor: Gomez) mit der gleichen Aufstellung wie beim Sieg gegen Tschechien (3:0). Und zumindest zu Beginn mit dem gleichen Tor-Hunger!

► 13. Minute: Özil in die Spitze auf Müller. Der direkt weiter zu Draxler. Der Wolfsburger zieht aus 17 m ab, trifft flach rechts unten – 1:0! Für Draxler ist es der 3. Treffer im 27. Länderspiel. Und die DFB-Elf legt gleich nach!

► 17. Minute: Ecke kurz ausgeführt. Özil bringt den Ball rein. Hummels per Kopf. Khedira streift die Kugel ebenfalls mit dem Schädel, das 2:0. Das 1. Tor für den Juve-Star seit dem

7:1 im WM-Halbfinale 2014 gegen Brasilien!

Bitter: Schiri Tagliavento (Italien) pfeift Götze sein Tor weg. Der Ball soll bei Müllers Vorlage die Torauslinie überschritten haben (38.). Knapp, aber richtig...

Zur Pause hat die DFB-Elf 10:4 Torschüsse und 68 Prozent Ballbesitz, ist hinten aber manchmal zu sorglos. Ändert sich nach der Pause, in der Löw Gündogan für Özil bringt (46.). Denn: Von den Nordiren kommt nichts mehr!

Torschütze Sami Khedira (29): „Wir können zufrieden sein, haben dem Gegner gar nicht den Raum gegeben, zu kontern.“

Löw bei RTL: „Wir haben die Aufgaben erfüllt, sechs Punkte geholt und kein Gegentor kassiert. Es war ein müheloser Sieg, weil Nordirland ganz tief stand.“

Böse: Ferguson fegt Kimmich völlig übermotiviert an der Außenlinie weg und sieht die einzige Gelbe Karte. Der Bayern-Verteidiger kann zum Glück weiterspielen (74.).

Der Rest ist zum Grinsen! Deutschland ist weiter ohne Punktverlust auf dem Weg nach Russland…

Appendix 14: Article Bild.de: San Marino - Germany

Drei Tore! Gnabry zeigt's den Großen veröffentlicht am 11.11.2016 - 22:39 Uhr

Tor-Regen in San Marino! Und EINER macht so richtig Spaß!

Deutschland gewinnt 8:0 im Zwergenstaat (33 000 Einwohner) mitten in Italien – und 852 Tage nach dem WM-Sieg in Brasilien ist Miro Klose (38) im Anzug mit Krawatte als inoffizieller Bundes-Stürmer-Trainer auf der DFB-Bank dabei.

Der junge Bremer Serge Gnabry (21) zeigt‘s ihm und den Großen! Drei Tore beim Debüt!

149

Gnabry bei RTL: „Das freut mich natürlich. Der Bundestrainer hat mir gesagt, ich soll mit Selbstbewusstsein spielen, frech sein. Die letzten zwei Jahre waren schwer für mich. Jetzt wächst das Selbstvertrauen mit den Toren.“

Nach den Absagen von Boateng, Kroos und Brandt verhilft Löw (diesmal wie ein Michelin- Männchen eingepackt) Serge Gnabry und Benjamin Henrichs (Leverkusen) zu ihren Nationalelf-Premieren. Für den kranken Neuer steht Marc-André ter Stegen im Tor. Zu tun bekommt er NICHTS.

Vorn dreht ein Neuer auf. Gnabry gelingt der erste Premieren-Dreierpack seit Dieter Müller vor mehr als vierzig Jahren.

Ilkay Gündogan: „Das hat er echt prima gemacht.“

TV-Experte Jens Lehmann: „Ein Spieler, den wir gerne wiedersehen wollen.“

Stark auch: Hector schafft einen Doppelpack. Außerdem treffen Khedira (7.) und Volland (86.), dazu ein Eigentor von Stefanelli (82.).

Schützenfest gegen die Truppe aus Informatikern, Elektrikern, Studenten, Barkeepern. Und ein weiterer bitterer Abend für Torwart Aldo Simoncini – er kassierte in seinen 52 Länderspielen schon 218 Gegentore. So schlimm wie beim 0:13 vor zehn Jahren gegen uns wurde es diesmal nicht.

Jogi Löw (56) verpasste einen neuen Rekordsieg bei strömendem Regen in der ältesten Republik der Welt. Mit jetzt vier Siegen in vier WM-Quali-Spielen ohne Gegentor führen wir unsere Gruppe an.

Was fehlte: Die Tor-Frustbewältigung für Thomas Müller, der in der Liga noch immer ohne Treffer ist. Mario Gomez wurden zwei Tore (43./45.+1) wegen Abseits aberkannt.

Jetzt müssen Müller und Gomez am Dienstag gegen Italien den Frust wegballern.

Appendix 15: Article Bild.de: Azerbaijan – Germany

JOGI TUT ALLEN GUT

Artikel von: MICHAEL MAKUS, TIMM DETERING und MORITZ LEIHKAMM veröffentlicht am 26.03.2017 - 19:50 Uhr

Die Bilanz bleibt blitzsauber!

Unser 4:1 in Aserbaidschan ist der fünfte Sieg im fünften WM-Quali-Spiel. Der flotte Kick am Kaspischen Meer macht Spaß. Und baut einige unserer Problem-Profis wieder auf.

Bundestrainer Jogi Löw (57) stellt überraschend Dortmund-Bankdrücker André Schürrle (26) auf. Erstmals seit Oktober 2015!

150

Schürrle bedankt sich mit zwei Toren und einer Vorlage. Auch Thomas Müller (27), bei den Bayern im Tor-Pech, knipst bei Jogi. Der auch Sorgenkind Özil (Rückenprobleme) noch Spielpraxis gab.

Das tat gut, so fielen die Tore!

19. Minute: Draxler passt nach links zu Hector. Der Kölner spielt sofort scharf nach innen, dort drückt Schürrle den Ball über die Linie – 0:1, schön gespielt!

„Nach einem Gegentor zweifeln die Spieler sofort an sich“, sagte der frühere Aserbaidschan- Trainer Berti Vogts (70) in FUSSBALL BILD voraus. „Das unfassbare Selbstvertrauen ist weg, sie machen Fehler.“ Können wir auch...

31. Minute: „Kerze“ von Hector im Mittelfeld. Den Konter schließt Dimitri Nazarov (26) mit einem Klasse-Schuss ins lange Eck ab – 1:1!

Ausgerechnet ein „Deutscher“ killt unsere Rekord-Serie (678 Minuten ohne Gegentor). Nazarov lebt seit seiner Jugend in Deutschland, stürmt für Erzgebirge Aue.

Verteidiger Mats Hummels (28) verärgert bei RTL: „Wir haben die Aserbaidschaner zwei Klassen stärker aussehen lassen. Wir haben ein bisschen arrogant gespielt, das finde ich nicht so schön.“

Aber ein „Jogi-Patient“ beruhigt alle sofort.

36. Minute: Schürrle stört früh, gewinnt den Ball und spielt in den Lauf von Müller. Der Münchner kurvt um Keeper Aghajev und schiebt ein – 1:2!

Erleichtert jubelt der bei den Bayern nicht so treffsichere Müller. Und gleich danach der Auftritt vom nächsten Bayern-Sorgenkind...

45. Minute: Kimmich, in München nur Bankdrücker, flankt sauber von rechts. Gomez setzt seinen Body gegen zwei Gegner ein, nickt platziert rechts in den Winkel. 1:3, Ruhe im Stadion!

Erster Gomez-Treffer seit auf den Tag genau neun Monaten (Achtelfinale EM 2016 gegen die Slowakei/3:0). Trotzdem hielt Jogi zu ihm.

Nach der Pause leichtes Spiel, Schürrle ballert wieder nach Hector-Pass das 1:4 unter die Latte (81.). Tat gut!

Der Matchwinner: „Ich fühle mich hier pudelwohl. Der Trainer schenkt mir viel Vertrauen und das nehme ich gerne mit.“

Vertrauen, das ihm unter BVB-Trainer Thomas Tuchel (43) fehlt?

Schürrle: „Das ist immer schwer zu sagen.“

Löw: „Es war gut für sein Selbstbewusstsein. Das ist gut, wenn wir den einen oder anderen Spieler aufbauen können. Jetzt kommen die wichtigen Spiele für alle Vereine.“

Mit dem Spiel war der Bundestrainer trotzdem unzufrieden: „Die ganze Art und Weise entspricht nicht unserem Anspruch. Es gab einige Abspielfehler. Wir haben es versäumt, das

151 eine oder andere Tor nachzulegen. Man hat gemerkt, dass wir schon einige Zeit nicht mehr zusammengespielt haben.“

Appendix 16: Article Bild.de: Germany – San Marino

7:0! Debütanten-Ballern gegen San Marino

Artikel von: MICHAEL MAKUS, TIMM DETERING und HEIKO NIEDDERER veröffentlicht am 10.06.2017 - 22:38 Uhr

Sechstes Spiel, sechster Sieg in der WM-Quali – sauber! Dieses flotte 7:0 gegen San Marino macht gute Laune vor dem Start in den Confed-Cup (19. Juni gegen Australien)!

Klar, dass wir uns nicht zu viel auf den Kantersieg einbilden sollten. San Marino (Nr. 204 der Welt) blieb vor der Pause ohne Ballkontakt im deutschen Strafraum...

Kapitän Julian Draxler zu RTL: „Nach der langen Saison wollten wir einfach Spaß haben. Das hat man gesehen, das hat den Fans glaub ich gefallen.“ Es war ein echtes Debütanten- Ballern, drei Spieler trafen erstmals für Deutschland.

Auch klar: Dieser Sandro Wagner (29) macht sich richtig gut! Der Neue aus Hoffenheim knipste gegen „Sandro Marino“ seine ersten Tore für Deutschland. Obwohl er fünf Zentimeter länger ist als Sturm-Konkurrent Mario Gomez (1,89 Meter), wirkt er spielerisch beweglicher: BamS-Note 1.

Die eigenwillige Sturmspitze ist richtig mit dem Herzen dabei, sagte vorher im BILD- Interview: „Ich habe 29 Jahre auf mein Debüt gewartet. Für mich ist das ein tolles Ereignis und eine Ehre, für mein Land spielen zu dürfen. Egal, ob Confed Cup, Merkur-Cup oder sonst was!“

Nach diesen Auftritten in Dänemark (1:1) und gegen San Marino muss Wagner beim Confed-Cup nachlegen, kann dann ein echter WM-Kandidat für 2018 sein.

Löw über Wagner: „Er ist ein reifer Spieler mit Persönlichkeit, der seine Meinung offen vertritt.“

Die sieben Stück gegen die tapferen Amateure aus dem Zwergstaat (32 000 Einwohner): jedes Tor hat seine Geschichte.

Das Binde-Tor!

Draxlers Schlenzer zum 1:0 (11.) ist das erste Tor des Ex-Schalkers als DFB-Kapitän.

Die Premiere!

Sandro Wagner macht mit dem Hechtkopfball zum 2:0 (16.) sein erstes Tor für Deutschland.

Das Cleverle-Tor!

152

Kimmich lenkt den Gegner mit einem Fairness-Handshake ab. Führt fast gleichzeitig den Freistoß aus, Wagner schließt gegen die überraschte Abwehr zum 3:0 ab (29.).

Nächste Premiere!

Amin Younes staubt nach Torwart-Fehler zum 4:0 ab (38.). Das erste Tor des Startelf- Debütanten für Deutschland.

Das Arm-Tor!

Abwehrmann Mustafi legt sich vor seinem 5:0 (47. Minute) den Ball mit dem (angelegten) linken Arm vor.

Der tolle Hecht!

Nach Flanke vom starken Kimmich (BamS-Note 1) segelt Julian Brandt herrlich zum Ball, köpft zum 6:0 ins lange Eck (72.). Das schönste Tor!

Das Duett-Tor!

Wieder eine Sahne-Flanke von Kimmich, wie vor dem 2:0 findet er Duett-Partner Wagner. Der köpft platziert zum 7:0 ins lange Eck.

Und schraubt unsere Bilanz in vier San Marino-Spielen auf 34:0!

Appendix 17: Article Bild.de: Czech Republic – Germany

Deutsche Fans pöbeln gegen Tor-Werner

Artikel von: Michael Makus, Heiko Niedderer und Timm Detering veröffentlicht am 01.09.2017 - 22:40 Uhr

Sauber, Jogi! Im dunklen Pullover behält er die weiße Weste: siebtes Spiel der WM-Quali, siebter Sieg!

Nach dem 2:1 in Prag gegen Tschechien könnte ein Sieg am Montag in Stuttgart gegen Norwegen schon die Qualifikation für die WM 2018 in Russland perfekt machen, wenn Nordirland gegen Tschechien nicht gewinnt.

Nicht ganz sauber ticken scheinbar mehrere der nach Prag mitgereisten deutschen Fans! Sie beschimpfen Timo Werner (21), ausgerechnet unseren Torschützen!

„Timo Werner ist ein Hurensohn!“, brüllten einige „Fans“ durch das Slavia-Stadion, direkt nach dem herrlich herausgespielten Tor zum 0:1.

Seit Dezember 2016 sind diese Chöre immer wieder zu hören. Damals hatte Werner im Leipzig-Trikot eine Schwalbe gegen Schalke gemacht.

Den anschließenden Elfer selbst verwandelt. Werner hat sich längst entschuldigt. Viele Leipzig-Gegner aber wollen das nicht hören.

153

Hoffentlich wird Werner am Montag in seiner Heimatstadt Stuttgart (12 Jahre beim VfB) fairer behandelt!

Ebenso unschön in Prag, dass deutsche Fans vor dem Anpfiff eine Schweigeminute (für verstorbene tschechische Altinternationale) stören und "Scheiß DFB!" grölen.

Nachdem die Mannschaft sich dazu entschied, wegen der Stimmung nicht in die Kurve zu gehen, wird die Atmosphäre noch aggressiver. Mats Hummels (28) begründet die ungewöhnliche Aktion: „Das sind keine Fans, das sind Krawallmacher. Deshalb sind wir nicht dort hingegangen.“

Auch in den zähen 90 Minuten waren nur die Tore Grund zur Freude.

4. Minute: Balleroberung Hummels an der Mittellinie. Özil sieht, dass Werner in der Spitze sich löst. Präziser Pass zum Leipziger, klasse Ballmitnahme und Abschluss – ein Sahne-Tor zum 0:1! Werners viertes Tor im siebten Länderspiel.

Danach ließ unsere Mannschaft die Tschechen zu ungestört spielen. Vor der Pause nur noch eine Stindl-Chance, Fußabwehr von Torwart Vaclik (20.).

Danach roch es oft nach Ausgleich. Der rauschte dann nach 78 Minute in den Winkel: ein toller 20-Meter-Kracher vom Herthaner Darida!

Gut, dass der überragende Hummels per Kopf nach Kroos-Freistoß noch das Siegtor machte (88.), unsere Sieges-Serie hält!

Appendix 18: Article Bild.de: Germany – Norway

Das war einfach WERNERbar!

Artikel von: MICHAEL MAKUS, HEIKO NIEDDERER, TIMM DETERING und DENNIS BROSDA (Foto) veröffentlicht am 04.09.2017 - 22:34 Uhr

So schön kann WM-Quali sein!

Drei Tage nach der Fan-Schande von Prag feiert Deutschland mit dem 6:0 gegen Norwegen ein Fußball-Fest. Achter Sieg im achten Spiel, Jogis Jungs stürmen im Turbo-Tempo Richtung WM nach Russland (14.6.–15.7. 2018).

Torfestival, super Stimmung. Das war einfach WERNERbar!

In seiner alten Heimat gibt's die Versöhnung mit Timo Werner (21/Leipzig), der in Prag von Hirnlos-Hools noch als „Hurensohn“ beschimpft wurde. Applaus der 50000 Fans schon bei der Vorstellung. Den ersten „Timo Werner“-Sprechchören (16.) folgt der Doppelpack (21./40.) des zur Zeit besten deutschen Stürmers.

Seine Giganten-Quote: sechs Tore in den ersten acht Länderspielen. Das schaffte nicht mal der junge Miro Klose (5 Tore in 8 Länderspielen). Besser im DFB-Dress waren Gerd Müller (8 aus 8) und Klaus Fischer (10 aus 8).

154

Die Forderung von Bundestrainer Jogi Löw („Ich erwarte einen fairen Umgang mit Timo Werner“) wird von den Fans mehr als erhört. Standing Ovations, als Werner nach 66 Minuten für Mario Gomez vom Platz geht.

Werner bei RTL: „Ich freue ich, dass ich auch in der Nationalmannschaft in der Häufigkeit treffe. War ganz besonders, dass ich hier in der Heimat spielen durfte. Es haben viele nicht damit gerechnet, dass es so für mich hier ausgeht. Es bedeute mir sehr viel, weil es hier in der Heimat war, wo ich groß geworden bin. Es freut mich doppelt, dass ich es so zurückzahlen konnte.“

Stark auch der Fan-Klub der Nationalmannschaft, der mit einem 70-Meter-Transparent („Gegen Gewalt, Fremdenfeindlichkeit und Ausgrenzung“) ein Zeichen gegen die Nazi-Rufe der Hirnlos-Hools von Prag setzt. WM-Feeling in Stuttgart.

283 Tage vorm Eröffnungsspiel zerlegen Jogis Jungs erschreckend schwache Norweger (in der Fifa-Weltrangliste auf Platz 85 zwischen Lybien und Mauretanien). Özil (10./aus zehn Metern), Draxler (17./aus der Drehung), Werner mit links (21.) und per Kopf (40.) sowie Goretzka (50./Kopf nach Draxler-Flanke) und Gomez (79./Flugkopfball) zünden ein Tor- Festival. Gigantisch ist auch die Passquote von Toni Kroos in der ersten Halbzeit mit 100 (!) Prozent.

Jogi Löw verließ kurz vor Schluss sogar für ein paar Minuten seine Bank, verschwand vorübergehend in der Kabine. Bei RTL klärt er später auf, wo er war: auf der Toilette! War wohl dringend...

Von seiner Mannschaft ist er begeistert: „Es hat riesigen Spaß gemacht, heute zuzuschauen. Ich habe in der Halbzeit gesagt, dass wir weiter wie eine Spitzenmannschaft spielen sollen.“ Taten seine Jungs dann auch...

Sieger der Herzen ist mit Sami Khedira ein weiterer Ex-Stuttgarter, der bei seiner Einwechslung (61. für Rudy) euphorisch gefeiert wird. Der Italien-Legionär kaufte vorm Länderspiel 1200 Tickets und verteilte diese an benachteiligte, sozial schwache und krebskranke Kinder aus der Region Stuttgart. Mehr (Fußball-)Herz geht kaum noch.

Appendix 19: Article Bild.de: Northern Ireland – Germany

3:1! Rudy rummst uns nach Russland

Artikel von: MICHAEL MAKUS, TIMM DETERING, JÖRG WEILER und HEIKO NIEDDERER veröffentlicht am 05.10.2017 - 22:35 Uhr

WM 2018, wir kommen!

Jogi Löw (57) gewinnt 3:1 in Nordirland! 9. Sieg im 9. Quali-Spiel! Der Kreml kann sich auf Deutschland freuen: Auslosung ist in Moskau am 1. Dezember!

Sebastian Rudy (27) rummst uns zur Weltmeisterschaft 2018 in Russland.

► Der Bayern-Star hält in der 2. Minute mit rechts drauf, trifft aus 23 Metern sensationell in den rechten Winkel. Erstes Tor im 22. Länderspiel.

155

Rudy bei RTL: „Es war nicht einfach. Es war wichtig, dass wir ein frühes Tor geschossen haben. Wir haben das Spiel die ganze Zeit dominiert. Nach Russland fahren wir, um was zu reißen! Wir wollen den Titel dort erfolgreich verteidigen.“

Das Blitz-1:0 nach 78 Sekunden. Das ging sogar für Löw zu schnell. Der war beim Treffer noch nicht von der erhöhten Ersatzbank runter am Spielfeldrand.

Der Bundestrainer: „Ich bin schon zufrieden. Wir haben ein frühes Tor gemacht, haben es kontrolliert, wie wir es wollten."

Unser Team ohne BVB-Spieler. Dafür stehen fünf Bayern-Stars in der Startelf! Jogi-Therapie für die in der Liga angeschlagenen Münchener. Boateng spielt erstmals nach einem Jahr wieder im DFB-Trikot.

Die Nordiren als Aufbau-Gegner! Die vor allem mit Sandro Wagner im Sturm nicht zurechtkommen. Erst scheitert er mit einem Kopfball an Torwart McGovern (5.), wenig später am linken Pfosten (17.). Nach Zuspiel von Müller belohnt sich der Hoffenheimer aber, macht mit links das 2:0 (21.).

Löw: „Es war wichtig, dass er in vorderster Front immer zwei Spieler bindet. Und er hat ein schönes Tor erzielt."

Deutschland siegt sich spielerisch zur WM. Seit 1934 hat das Team KEINES der 47 Auswärtsspiele in 14 WM-Qualifikationen verloren. Die Nordiren als aktuelle Gruppenzweite dagegen hatten seit vier Jahren kein Heimpflichtspiel verloren. Ein Sieg in Belfast gelang zuletzt Cristiano Ronaldo mit Portugal 2013 (4:2). Jetzt rummsen Rudy und Wagner die irische Heimstärke weg.

Nach der Halbzeit werden die Nordiren etwas mutiger. Und haben Pech, dass der eingewechselte Washington nur die Latte trifft (77.).

Das Tor schießt Deutschland: Kimmich zieht volley ab, trifft ins kurze Ecke (85.). In der Nachspielzeit trifft Magennis noch zur nordirischen Ergebniskosmetik (90.+3).

Hummels zufrieden: „Die waren nur auf verteidigen bedacht. Es war für uns die große Kunst, ruhig zu bleiben. Die Nordiren haben außer gegen uns kein Gegentor bekommen, von uns aber fünf."

Sonntag das letzte deutsche Gruppenspiel gegen Aserbaidschan! Da kann sich Jogi noch einen Weltrekord schnappen – für die beste WM-Quali. Bislang sind die Spanier (30 Punkte, 28:5 Tore) in der Saison 2008/2009 top. Deutschland hat jetzt 27 Punkte, 38:3 Tore...

Appendix 20: Article Bild.de: Germany – Azerbaijan

Hacke, Spitze, Weltrekord! veröffentlicht am 09.10.2017 - 13:32 Uhr

Der Weltrekord ist perfekt!

156

Deutschland behält beim 5:1 gegen Aserbaidschan in Kaiserslautern im zehnten und letzten Qualifikationsspiel zur WM 2018 in Russland (14.6.-15.7.) seine weiße Weste und überflügelt dank des besseren Torverhältnisses (43:4 Tore) den bisherigen Rekordhalter Spanien (2009/28:5).

Hacke, Spitze, Weltrekord!

Allerdings bekleckert sich die Mannschaft beim 7. Sieg im 7. Spiel gegen den 92. der Fifa- Weltrangliste nicht mit Ruhm. Obwohl Bundestrainer Jogi Löw (57) das Quali-Finale als erstes Casting für die „Mission Titelverteidigung“ gedacht hat.

Sieben Kandidaten kommen neu rein: Leno, Can, Brandt, Sané, Stindl, Mustafi und Süle. Die beiden Innenverteidiger müssen jedoch früh verletzt raus. Süle (muskuläre Probleme im Oberschenkel) wird nach 22 Minuten durch Rüdiger ersetzt, Mustafi (Verdacht auf Muskelbündelriss) durch Ginter (36.).

In der zähen 1. Halbzeit macht nur einer auf sich aufmerksam: Der Schalker Leon Goretzka (22) versenkt den Ball geschickt per Hacke im Netz, 1:0 (8.)!

Anschließend verdaddeln Wagner (31.) und Sané (45.+2) beste Chancen. Leno und Rüdiger sehen beim 1:1-Ausgleich durch Ramil Sheydaev (34.) ganz alt aus.

Nach der Pause dreht Deutschland auf. Wagner köpft nach Brandt-Flanke das 2:1 (54.) – das fünfte Tor des Hoffenheimers im fünften Länderspiel!

Sandro Wagner nach dem Spiel: „Wir wollten das Spiel gewinnen, ob Rekord oder nicht. Ich wollte unbedingt ein Tor machen und schön, dass es noch geklappt hat.“

Jetzt ist der Bann gebrochen. Rüdiger köpft das 3:1 (64.) – und nach Goretzkas Doppelpack (66.) sowie Cans 25-Meter-Knaller (81.) ist sogar noch das Hinspiel-Ergebnis (4:1) übertroffen.

Sechs Tests gibt's noch bis zur Endrunde: Los geht's am 10.11. in London gegen England, es folgt ein Heimspiel in Köln gegen Frankreich oder Holland (14.11.). Nach Auslosung der WM-Gruppen im Kreml (1.12.) sind Spanien (23.3.2018/Düsseldorf) und Brasilien (27.3./Berlin) fest terminiert. Die letzten zwei Gegner während des Trainingslagers im Mai in Südtirol werden den Gruppen-Gegnern entsprechend verpflichtet.

Leon Goretzka nach dem Spiel: „Wir haben Konstanz bewiesen und eine rundum gelungene Qualifikation geschafft. In der zweiten Halbzeit haben wir guten Fußball gezeigt.”

Appendix 21: Article Telegraph.co.uk: Slovakia – England

Slovakia 0 England 1: Adam Lallana's injury-time winner gives Sam Allardyce a win in his first game as manager

By Jason Burt

4 SEPTEMBER 2016 • 7:40PM

157

Sixty-nine days since such a brittle fear gripped England that they crashed out of Euro 2016 to Iceland, the doom-laden headlines were looming again.

This is just the start of the qualifying campaign for the next World Cup but so unconvincing and ponderous were England at times on Sunday against Slovakia that it felt like this new beginning, this new dawn, might have an all too familiar feel to it.

“The Journey Begins Here” is the England slogan for this campaign and it felt like a long and rocky road until Adam Lallana struck the late, late winning goal that thankfully got the Sam Allardyce era off to a winning start.

Given how slow it had all been, it was perhaps appropriate that Lallana scored so late – the 95th minute – with England finally capitalising on the advantage they were given with Martin Skrtel’s deserved sending-off with more than half an hour to go.

Yet, against the 10 men, England continued to labour, even if, in fairness, they did attempt to go for it and perhaps deserved their reward. They certainly got better when Dele Alli came on to play in the No 10 role that we had been told – or thought we had been told – would be allotted to Wayne Rooney who, instead, played so deep at times that he was almost standing alongside goalkeeper Joe Hart.

So much attention had focused on Hart, but the “dodgy keeper” here belonged to the hosts, with England at last exploiting Matus Kozacik’s vulnerability as Lallana found the space to squeeze a low shot that trickled through the goalkeeper’s legs.

It was, in Lallana’s 27th appearance for England, his first goal for his country.

It also marked Allardyce’s first goal as England manager, of course, and claimed the three vital points in Group F – which also contains Scotland, Lithuania, Slovenia and Malta – in what represented the most difficult tie on the road to Russia. At the very least he proved to be a lucky manager.

Or a manager who gained some fortune after being handed a lucky coin on the morning of the match that he then played with throughout his press conference.

This is not to blame Allardyce. Not remotely. Instead it is to put into perspective the size of the task he faces and perhaps how deep are some of the scars that these England players – eight of the starters had lined up against Iceland in June – carry.

But, then, just as Roy Hodgson will never be remembered as the England coach with the best qualifying record – he is the man who could not get past a World Cup group stage and who lost to Iceland – then this performance will matter not a jot should Allardyce do well in the 2018 World Cup.

England – just about – deserved to win but it is probably unlikely they would have done so had Skrtel not been booked – rightly – for elbowing Harry Kane in the first half and then received a second yellow card for stamping on the striker after the break. That warranted a red card in itself.

It was another painful game for Kane, and not just because of Skrtel’s brutal behaviour, as he touched the ball just five times in the opening half hour.

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Nothing proved more surprising than Rooney’s role as the captain earned his 116th England cap to overtake David Beckham’s outfield record. Allardyce had implied he would be playing him as his No 10 but he was back in midfield – starting even deeper in the centre of a 4-1-4-1 and then back into the two in a 4-2-3-1 when the formation changed.

Later Allardyce said Rooney could basically play where he wanted – such is his importance – which may be indulgence or may be clever psychology. Time will tell.

There were pluses – and not least the result – in the performances of John Stones, in Lallana and, also, in Raheem Sterling who appeared to overcome the lack of belief that so crushed him at the Euros to, at least, take the fight to the opposition.

Allardyce had also called for fun but, as a starter, this was flat. There were few punchlines. In Trnava this was a right palaver against Slovakia, who were decimated by injury and controversy with key players missing.

Yes, Slovakia are obdurate. Yes, they boast an impressive home record and yes they parked the bus as England dominated possession but did not quite dominate the match in the way it was spun afterwards.

But the result meant that Allardyce became the ninth successive England manager to get off to a winning start and the way he understandably punched the air in relief, then frantically called on his players to regroup, spoke volumes. Welcome to the Impossible Job.

It was a forgettable first-half. There was a cross-shot by Sterling but the best opportunity fell to Slovakia when Danny Rose carelessly lost the ball inside his own area, with Dusan Svento only just failing to meet Michal Duris’s cross.

Allardyce wanted his players to move the ball quicker after the break and they attempted to do so but there was nothing of note until the 66th minute when Rooney’s curling shot was shovelled out unconvincingly by Kozacik, who then shuffled back to tip over Eric Dier’s effort. That should have confirmed the goalkeeper’s weaknesses and he was beaten when Lallana drove the ball powerfully only for it to cannon off a post.

Allardyce, rightly, turned the screw. Substitute Theo Walcott had the ball in the net but was pulled up for offside. It was a marginal call although the ball did just come off another substitute, Daniel Sturridge.

That seemed to be it. But, one last time, England retrieved the ball as their dog-tired opponents failed to clear and Lallana fashioned the chance.

Appendix 22: Article Telegraph.co.uk: England – Malta

England 2 Malta 0: Dele Alli and Daniel Sturridge secure easy win for Gareth Southgate

Sam Wallace, Chief Football Writer, at Wembley

8 October 2016 • 9:12pm

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It remains a puzzle whether it is more remarkable that 81,781 people will come on a Saturday afternoon to watch the dysfunctional bunch that is the England team play the 176th ranked nation in the world, or that some of them turn up to boo Wayne Rooney.

After 12 days in which the Football Association have descended into a familiar chaos, a manager departed and major questions about the future, Gareth Southgate began the week presenting Rooney with his outfield record-breaking 116th cap and finished it defending his captain in the face of the Wembley booing.

The England support’s complicated relationship with Rooney continues, with his name cheered by some and booed by others at the start of the game and then, during it, further rumblings of discontent towards the man with 117 caps to his name. Southgate’s defence of the player, that Rooney has consistently made himself available to play for England while others have ducked out, had a lot of merit but no-one expects it to end the argument.

Strange days at Wembley which was all but full of fans, many of whom did not seem to know why it was they were there. Watching England remains a popular diversion but it is one that is resented as much as it is cherished and, sitting in the expensive seats, David Beckham will know what it is like to endure the frustration of a crowd when your powers are on the wane.

Rooney was back in midfield for England, the position which Mourinho says he cannot play - an assertion with which the current England manager and his predecessor both disagreed. Certainly this was not a day when Rooney was going to disprove definitively the theory that he cannot play in central midfield and against an opponent as poor as Malta it was hardly a meaningful test.

There was a wild tackle from Rooney in the first half on his opposite number, the Malta captain Andre Schembri, which in some circumstances might have earned him a red card. Certainly the Swedish referee Stefan Johannesson made a mistake in not at least booking Rooney.

England played at a pace that was hypnotically slow at times, scoring twice in the first half, before the game tailed away to nothing after the break. Southgate said that his players would naturally have their minds on Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against Slovenia in Ljubljana but after half-time it felt like a tired finish from a tired group of footballers.

The goals from Daniel Sturridge and Dele Alli before the break were the difference in the end and England pounded grimly on the door for most of the second half with Marcus Rashford and then Jamie Vardy sent on as substitutes. Malta put ten men behind the ball and hung on manfully for a defeat with honour.

In the hierarchy of minnows, Malta are just ahead of the true lightweights of the Uefa division, the likes of San Marino, Andorra and Gibraltar, and they seemed to have learned a lesson from the 5-1 hammering from Scotland last month. Better organised and much fitter than the usual last seeded teams in qualifying groups, Malta were able to keep the scoreline to a very respectable two goals.

At the start of the game there was no introduction of Southgate, officially the interim manager, to the Wembley crowd and only the briefest mention of the change, and the Telegraph’s part in it, in the matchday programme. The new England manager simply arrived and took the seat of the old manager with what seemed like a faint hope that no-one would pay too much attention to the change.

There was a decent performance from Jordan Henderson who was voted man of the match and had a key role in both the goals. Southgate resisted the temptation to change the

160 balance of his team, keeping a four-man defence despite the fact that Joe Hart had just one save to make all game. An early injury to Ryan Bertrand necessitated his replacement with Danny Rose and Kieran Gibbs has been called up as a replacement for the Southampton man.

The only surprise in Southgate’s line-up was an international debut for Jesse Lingard, a player who did the former Under-21s manager good service when he was in his squad for the European championships in that age-group last year. The Manchester United man was on the left side and twice had chances to mark his start with a goal.

Henderson crossed the ball for Alli on 22 minutes who had his header saved. It was Henderson’s ball that picked out Sturridge in the area for the first goal. There was no pace on the cross but Sturridge was able to direct his header beyond the Malta goalkeeper Andrew Hogg whose reaction was not as quick as his team-mates might have hoped.

The Liverpool striker was in one of those moods when passing the ball was the last thing on his mind and he dribbled past opponents and lashed in shots from all angles. The second goal came when Henderson drove into the area and pinched the ball from Sturridge, who was doing what Sturridge does. The Liverpool captain presented it to Alli instead - his first shot was saved and he managed to get a toe to the rebound to put it away.

There was a chance after the break for Theo Walcott, when he was played in by Lingard on 64 minutes for a shot which Hogg saved. Alli missed from close range when Rashford whipped a ball across from the right and the game ended with a murmur of indifference from the home crowd. The job had been done as everyone expected it would be, but the game against Slovenia will present different challenges.

Then Southgate will be obliged to come up with a plan to win a trickier away game – but even so it will be the games against Scotland and then Spain that prove a bigger test. This was, in the circumstances, a decent start. England can only beat the opposition put in front of them, as the old saying goes, and it should be said that those opposition can be pretty uninspiring at times although the crowds do keep turning up.

Appendix 23: Article Telegraph.co.uk: Slovenia – England

Slovenia 0 England 0: Joe Hart's heroics rescue point for struggling visitors

Sam Wallace, Chief Football Writer, Ljubljana (report)

11 October 2016 • 10:03pm

Only in a team as dysfunctional as England can you first be the problem and then the solution in the space of 24 hours but as Wayne Rooney came on to try to win this World Cup qualifier with 17 minutes left in Ljubljana he will have recognised a familiar kind of crisis, writes Sam Wallace at the Stozice Stadium.

The deposed captain of England was summoned from the substitutes’ bench by Gareth Southgate as his young team laboured against Slovenia, in a qualifier that showed up just about all their problems.

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There was no fluency in attack, a worrying skittishness in defence, and it was Joe Hart who was the outstanding English player, coming to his team’s rescue more than once.

Without Rooney, the handbrake was supposed to have been released on Southgate’s young side, but they played with much of the usual fear and trepidation in the first half that is their 50-year inheritance.

You might argue that this was a decent point away from home but only because it was Slovenia who finished the stronger even with Southgate changing up to introduce Rooney and Marcus Rashford at the end.

The bigger picture is this for England’s interim manager: his side failed to win against a country ranked 67th in the world by Fifa whom England have never failed to beat in four previous meetings, so bringing to an end a 15-match winning run in qualifying games.

The mitigation was that Southgate, in his own words, inherited a “mess” post-Sam Allardyce, and was beset with withdrawals.

His team are still top of qualifying group F and while they are not running away with it as they did for Euro 2016, it could be a much bleaker picture given the upheavals of the last three weeks.

It ended with Rooney wearing the captain’s armband once more, handed back to him by Jordan Henderson as soon as he came on, and Southgate obliged to go back to his 118-cap captain.

Of course, this result does not make the original decision to leave out Rooney the wrong one, but every manager knows that life is a lot easier when you win.

In a month’s time the team face Scotland at Wembley on Nov 11 in a qualifier which will be critical for Gordon Strachan’s side, beaten 3-0 by Slovakia, and there will still be a question mark over Southgate’s suitability to take the job in the long-term.

A win in Ljubljana would have changed the mood but the Football Association will be reluctant to rush into a decision now. After Scotland come Spain, and a decision will be required soon after that.

Either way, this was not a new dawn for the England team, it was more of the same hesitancy against a limited Slovenia team who were, as Southgate admitted, most dangerous from set pieces or the times when English players gifted them openings.

There was also sharp criticism of Jesse Lingard at the end from Southgate for involving himself in a ruck with Aljaz Struna, and a number of other Slovenians, after the full-back in question raised his arms to Rashford.

“He’s got to cut that out,” Southgate said.

On the opposite wing it was a bad night for Theo Walcott, whom the game seemed to pass by before he was replaced by the more effective Andros Townsend. But Walcott was not the only one. Daniel Sturridge consistently took the shooting option when the pass was on.

Eric Dier created Slovenia’s best chance of the first half, when he misjudged a back-pass. Even John Stones, who generally looked the most composed of the defenders, let the ball get away from him in the second half.

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It was not a disastrous performance but there were too many small errors for England to look anything but vulnerable. Southgate blamed the pitch, which was of low quality, although a bigger problem seemed to be a fundamental disconnect between the front and the back of his team.

Henderson was a long way from Dele Alli and Sturridge was on a wavelength to which only he was tuned. The mistake by Dier, which presented Slovenia with three consecutive chances, one that struck the post, seemed to spook England. To say they were cautious for the rest of the first half, would be an understatement.

It was Rooney who was blamed in the past for slowing England down but even with him on the bench, the team were still stupendously ponderous. Sturridge was also aggrieved not to get a penalty for a blatant body-check from the midfielder Rene Krhin in the 15th minute as he chased a ball in the area from Henderson.

The problem was that these players know better than anyone when their performances are falling off a cliff, and that added to the general mood of anxiety about the team.

At least Hart could say that he had responded when called upon. His save in the 10th minute from the Slovenia striker Roman Bezjak was a good one and he came alive again at the start of the second half.

The home side were strong on set pieces and they put England under extreme pressure, first with a header from the centre-back Bostjan Cesar which struck Stones and needed a first- time save from Hart. An even better save was the second from Jasmin Kurtic’s header which Hart stopped with one hand and then, as he fell back, flicked out of the goal with the other.

Stones made his first mistake of the game, giving away possession which allowed in Josip Ilicic for a shot. On 70 minutes Henderson played a ball short that Ilicic carried towards goal where it was Hart who came out to block the shot. There were 17 minutes left when Rooney finally entered the game.

He took up a position behind Sturridge and four minutes later made a run into the middle which only required a cutback from the Liverpool man that inevitably never came.

There was another shot from Rooney and Lingard forced a save from the formidable Jan Oblak, but it was Slovenia who ended the game the stronger. It was notable that Rashford, given just 10 minutes, headed straight for the tunnel at the end of the game rather than acknowledge the supporters. Rooney on the other hand, was happy to do so, having listened to them sing his name for most of the night, although he could not quite come to the rescue with a winner.

England and Gareth Southgate could not quite go cold turkey. They tried, but after 73 minutes they needed their Rooney fix. The three men charged with proving that life without Rooney will not be too much of an ordeal had endured an evening to forget. The usually excellent Eric Dier took just 10 minutes to play a back-pass straight into the path of Roman Bezjak but Joe Hart produced an excellent save.

Then, in the second half, stand-in captain Jordan Henderson gave Josip Ilicic a run on goal, but, again, Hart came to the rescue. Dele Alli started in the number 10 role, but could not provide the craft or attacking threat to open up the Slovenia defence and it was the Tottenham man Rooney replaced. The super-sub script looked set to be written in the 78th minute, but Rooney curled a low shot just wide of the post.

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Gareth Southgate quotes in the tunnel: "We were trying to play on what was a very difficult surface. We want our boys to play but they have to be sensible as well.

"Joe's professionalism has been excellent and he has been calm. Outstanding saves.

"I cannot ask more than the boys have given me these ten days.

"I would not change the Wayne decision, we felt that this was a time for him to come on and use his experience.

"I don't know if anything was said to Jesse Lingard.

"I am going to have a couple of days now to go and sleep" he says, declining to offer an answer as to whether he wants the job full time.

Appendix 24: Article Telegraph.co.uk: England – Scotland

England 3 Scotland 0: Sturridge, Lallana and Cahill headers secure win and likely Gareth Southgate's ascension

Jason Burt, Chief Football Correspondent, Wembley

11 November 2016 • 9:38pm

England took control of their World Cup qualifying group and Gareth Southgate will now, surely, take control as manager.

Three headed goals defeated Scotland – England’s biggest win against their rivals in 41 years – and Southgate can expect the nod from caretaker to full-time head coach even if there were, against familiar opponents, all too familiar failings. The Auld Enemy and the same old, same old, at times.

Group F is representing failure once more for Scotland who are only ahead of Malta and as spirited as they played, as many chances as they also created, it could be very difficult for their (far too) chippy manager Gordon Strachan to carry on after this. With wasted opportunities, his chance may have gone.

For Scotland, 18 years without making it to a tournament is set to stretch to 20 unless there is a dramatic change. And that hurts.

England will go into 2017 on top and with home matches against their nearest challengers – Slovenia and Slovakia – with Southgate on course to take them to Russia in two years.

He later said there was now time to reflect and that his future is in the hands of the Football Association but it makes no sense to make another change, to have a fourth manager inside a year and all the upheaval that then creates. Southgate has claimed seven points from three matches – nine would have been nice – but also achieved three clean sheets and has a plan.

If a key failing with England is lack of confidence; lack of identity and the need to carefully rebuild that then a degree of continuity is vital.

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Long before the end here there were “olés” from the gleeful home fans as ancient bragging rights were reclaimed and as much as that irritated Strachan it was an opportunity for Southgate to say England could, finally, simply enjoy being on the Wembley turf for a few minutes. There was some keep-ball swagger.

There were good goals and good individual performances – as expected from the in-form wide men of Raheem Sterling and Adam Lallana who were the standout players along with Kyle Walker – but there are concerns, also.

Defensively England were far from sound and the richly-talented John Stones had one of those maddeningly switched-off evenings when he plays far too loose while Eric Dier continues to look shorn of confidence and affected by Euro 2016 even though he was his country’s best player there.

But, against Scotland, England had the better players and that quality counted. They were not at their best but it was good enough even if they were aided by some shambolic Scottish defending in which they appeared to be auditioning their own version of the Mannequin Challenge. They were not pretty in pink.

Not fair, Strachan later complained of the scoreline, but it did not wash. England were not three goals better but if Scotland cannot take their chances, cannot defend their goal, then there is little hope.

And that is the crushing truth which is even more suffocating when the fact is they played as well as they could – and not least in taking the game to England in the 113th instalment of the oldest fixture in world football which stretches back 144 years.

After the build-up, the roll of drums, the whirl of pipes, the exhortations and expectations, the palaver over the wearing of the poppy and the ritual booing of each other’s anthems the game unfolded with Scotland pressing high and pressing hard as they attempted to prey on England’s nerves and knowing that Southgate would demand they played the ball out from the back.

In this corridor of uncertainty it was Sterling who brought some belief. He drove forward, he drew challenges and he spread panic for Scotland.

Sterling could have won a penalty, when the recalled Lee Wallace jumped into him, and then created the opening from which England scored. A shot was deflected by Grant Hanley but spun out wide to Walker who fired in a chest-high cross that was met by Daniel Sturridge.

The striker improvised smartly from close range to stoop and angle a fierce header across Craig Gordon – playing his first competitive game for Scotland in seven years – and into the net.

It was a finish that vindicated Sturridge’s selection ahead of a fit again Harry Kane, that showed the difference between the two sides, and Southgate punched the air in delight.

Not that it proved a knockout. Instead Scotland racked up chances with a complicit England: Hanley was left unmarked by Stones at a corner but, woefully, headed over and then Wayne Rooney passed the ball straight to Leigh Griffiths who ran at goal but, foolishly, failed to pass to Robert Snodgrass even though he was free as Stones and Gary Cahill both moved to block his eventual shot.

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It meant that despite not coming from behind to win this fixture since 1976, despite their lack of goals in previous games, there was still hope for Scotland and they were presented with more opportunities: Walker got sucked in and Wallace was allowed to run clear down the left.

His cross was alertly dummied by Griffiths and ran to James Forrest but he snatched at it and dragged it wide.

Then Wallace cut the ball into the path of Snodgrass whose prod lacked conviction and Stones deflected it away.

It proved pivotal. Would Scotland rue those misses? They soon had the answer as Stones lofted the ball forward and Sturridge sent it out wide to Sterling who fed the overlapping Danny Rose and he clipped it back into the area where it was met by Lallana who – like Sturridge – improvised smartly to steer his header back across Gordon.

It was over. England had been fragile but Scotland cracked and fell further behind with a more routine finish as Cahill was allowed to rise unchallenged to meet Rooney’s corner and, at the near post, send the ball across a stranded Gordon.

There was even a glaring miss from Sterling, ballooning over from two yards, as Scotland appeared totally deflated.

If this was to be an audition – with the friendly to go against Spain – then the role is Southgate’s if he wants it. There is a big job to do.

Appendix 25: Article Telegraph.co.uk: England – Lithuania

England 2 Lithuania 0: no problems as Jermain Defoe and Jamie Vardy strike to dismiss limited opponents

Jason Burt, Chief Football Correspondent, Wembley

26 March 2017 • 9:05pm

Jermain Defoe claimed his goal, claimed the headlines, and England claimed the points. But although this World Cup qualifier against Lithuania was a stroll it did not mean they had to play in quite so pedestrian a fashion.

Sometimes, as manager Gareth Southgate later said, you kind of know you are going to win the match – and that is fair enough against opposition ranked 107th in the world, directly below Ethiopia, Mozambique and Mauritania – and this one will be filed under the heading ‘job done’. But no more that that.

Except for Defoe. Four years after his last appearance for his country, the 34-year-old was recalled – and broke the deadlock, unpicking the most packed defence. There was also the sight of Defoe leading out the team with Bradley Lowery, the terminally ill five-year-old who is suffering from a rare form of cancer, and with whom he has forged a bond. No wonder Defoe spoke afterwards about having to keep his emotions in check.

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His inclusion showed, also, that Southgate is bringing a pragmatic edge to team selection. For all the desire to promote youth, to change things, there was a recognition that against opposition who would effectively line up in a 9-1 formation and stay compact, England needed a player with a poacher’s instinct to lead the attack. Age is no bar.

Defoe is a veteran but he remains the best finisher in this England squad, and so he started the match, with Southgate turning to Jamie Vardy later on, when he knew Lithuania would have to try to push on and claim an unlikely equaliser – to ‘break their lines’ and get in behind.

And so Vardy, 30, got the second goal. England’s scorers were both thirtysomethings: it was a reminder to Wayne Rooney, at 31, what can still be done.

Rooney, out injured for these matches, is heading towards the end of his England career – or so it seems – and needs to find a new lease of life, even though he has said his international career will end at the next World Cup if he makes it there. As things stand, that appears less and less likely.

So Defoe’s selection showed good game-management from Southgate. And there were other pluses: Adam Lallana again demonstrated how important he is to his country, Raheem Sterling highlighted how dangerous he can be, John Stones and Michael Keane forged an intriguing, youthful central defensive partnership, and Kyle Walker again impressed.

Not that anyone should get carried away. That has happened time and time again, and it should be remembered that the last time England faced Lithuania at Wembley, in a Euro 2016 qualifier, only a couple of years ago, they put them away 4-0 and secured a seventh successive win after the 2014 World Cup debacle with claims that a feel-good factor had returned. It soon went.

But there was another positive. With Azerbaijan scoring in Baku against Germany, albeit in a 4-1 defeat, England are now the only European nation in this World Cup qualifying campaign yet to concede a goal. That breeds confidence – but, let us be honest, it also speaks to how weak Group F is and how easily England should qualify, even if they do have trips to Scotland and on the artificial pitch in Lithuania to come.

It means more than ever that performances matter. England are building towards Russia, with Southgate, interestingly, also observing that having shown encouraging signs with their 3-4-3 formation in the midweek friendly loss against Germany, they have another system, the more usual 4-2-3-1, to turn to.

Except that that observation itself highlighted a problem. England look like they have defenders and forward players to rely on and promote, but central midfield is a big problem.

Against Germany it felt a step too far for Jake Livermore and here – again – Alex Oxlade- Chamberlain did not seize his chance. Eric Dier is better as part of a three-man defence, so Jordan Henderson cannot come back soon enough. Others – maybe James Ward-Prowse? – need to step up.

Sterling did that in creating Defoe’s goal as he showed speed and strength to ease past his marker, Egidijus Vaitkunas, to pull the ball back. Defoe and Dele Alli were queuing up and it was the former who side-footed powerfully high into the net for his 20th goal for England and his first since a previous World Cup qualifier against San Marino – 1,365 days ago.

It was also Defoe’s first England goal at Wembley for seven years.

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He had already come close – latching on to Lallana’s clever pass to force a smart block by goalkeeper Ernestas Setkus – but England, despite their dominance and possession, laboured.

It was quiet, very quiet and became even soporific until, on half-time, there was a jolt as Nerijus Valskis latched on to a powerful header forward to himself nod the ball goalwards, past Joe Hart, who had come charging out of goal with Stones scampering back to clear off the line. Valskis was offside but the flag stayed down.

The main danger, though, came from Lithuania’s tackling, with Alli twice crunched late, twice, by Vaidas Slavickas.

Southgate realised he needed to change it up, and on came Vardy and Marcus Rashford to provide more pace as the game was stretched. Ross Barkley, disappointingly, remained on the bench. It was a sharp move inside the Lithuania penalty area, with Lallana’s shrewd first- time pass releasing Vardy, that led to the second goal. Vardy calmly steered his shot around Setkus.

The striker should have claimed his second when he was put clear by Rashford but wastefully lifted his shot over the cross-bar. It meant that the scoreline remained modest, as was the performance, but England had the win.

And Defoe, appropriately, had the headlines.

Appendix 26: Article Telegraph.co.uk: Scotland – England

Scotland 2 England 2: Harry Kane to the rescue after Leigh Griffiths' late double

Sam Wallace, Chief Football Writer, at Hampden Park

10 June 2017 • 9:32pm

These are the United Kingdom’s days of tumult and uncertainty, when it feels like just about anything could happen, even two free-kick goals from Leigh Griffiths within the space of three minutes that almost gave Scotland their first 21st-century victory over the country they cherish defeating.

If nothing else about British public life can be relied on, here at last was the certainty that the other national obsession can still serve up the kind of unpredictability that is thrilling and bewildering rather than just bewildering. Scotland were on the brink of a beautiful moment in their battered international football history and then came a moment of truth, and the truth that was revealed was that Scotland are still not capable of closing the deal.

That was the equaliser from Harry Kane in the third minute of added time when the Hampden Park crowd thought that just possibly they might win this World Cup qualifier and score their first victory over England at this ground since 1985. They were denied by a moment of classically predatory Kane, a man who had done little of note until he arrived unmarked at the far post to guide in a cross.

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For Scotland it was torture and for England it meant something profound, Gareth Southgate said, even coming against a nation they had beaten eight times in their previous 11 meetings. Southgate has spent hours thinking about how he might prevent England going through the kind of paralysis by fear that they encountered last summer in adversity against Iceland and in this instance of disaster avoided, he felt that he saw progress.

A “huge moment for the team” was how Southgate described it and perhaps all those hours putting up tents and plunging into murky tunnels of water in Devon last week have given his boys a greater power of endurance. They were mediocre for long periods of the game, and when substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave them the lead in the 70th minute they still felt like a team undercooked, three weeks from the end of the domestic season and ready for their holidays.

What followed was remarkable, a reminder – as if any were needed after Euro 2016 – of what a modestly talented team can do on a surge of pride. Gordon Strachan described Griffiths’s two goals, as “Scotland’s best ever free-kick and Scotland’s second best ever free- kick” and he might well be right. In the 87th and 89th minutes, the Celtic striker twice beat Joe Hart from distance, an epic kind of shoot-out that felt astonishing after the first and just surreal after the second.

Southgate was unwilling to judge Hart’s part in all this but he did feel a bit like the Test batsman who just keeps getting out to the same delivery.

The first was whipped past his left hand, the second past his right and yet on both occasions neither was dispatched with pinpoint accuracy into the corner of the goal. There was something that felt wrong about Hart’s attempts to save, perhaps the positioning itself, that made you wonder if another goalkeeper would have got there.

For Griffiths they were a couple of moments that will live with him his whole life. “Wonderful character … strange but wonderful” was how Strachan later described the player, a good epithet for the whole afternoon. He barely left a mark on English football during his days at Wolverhampton Wanderers but here was international football defying the hierarchy again and for a few moments it might have been his greatest triumph.

Strachan, emotionally exhausted, spoke later with some awe about the England team’s “strength, power and speed” and how much of a test it had been for his players, drawn from more humble club sides, to compete. He was genuine in his regard for their effort, especially Griffiths who led the pressing game Scotland employed at the start of the match and still had the energy to deliver those two great strikes right at the death.

He was less willing to say what it means for Scotland’s hopes of making it out of Group F and getting a place at the World Cup finals next summer, declaring himself incapable of anymore coherency. They are three points off Slovenia in second place, and one off Slovakia in third, with both left to play in their remaining four games and the task remains pretty steep.

For Southgate the most obvious lesson was the lack of a playmaker in midfield. Jake Livermore had a decent game and was unfortunate to concede the second of Griffiths’ two free-kicks. Eric Dier went close with a free-kick himself before Kane’s equaliser. Neither of them pass the ball well enough for England to build attacks quickly against opposition like Scotland who also sat very deep for long periods.

Scotland hustled and disrupted for the first 15 minutes and Scott Brown needed less than three minutes to pick up a booking. At least he can say he spent it wisely, crashing into the back of Dele Alli whom he had been asked to keep an eye on.

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The young Celtic full-back Kieran Tierney did a good job against Marcus Rashford, deployed on the right wing, where the Manchester United teenager had a frustrating game. He later made way for Oxlade-Chamberlain. Kane missed his best chance of the first half, a ball over the top from Dier.

It was a strange game for Craig Gordon, who, like fellow goalkeeper Hart, seemed to get a lot wrong. in the first half he strayed outside his area and had to head a ball clear that went straight to Kane. With an awkward bouncing ball and a goalkeeper off the line, his right footed shot was nicely placed but Tierney was there to head it away.

Oxlade-Chamberlain was lively from the moment he came on after 65 minutes and for his goal he picked the ball up wide on the right for his goal, cutting in past Brown with the help of a ricochet and then eluding Tierney.

Running right to left with team-mates demanding the ball, he squared up to shoot and beat Gordon with a shot that he might have saved.

It was left late by Scotland, but Griffiths took his first chance when Gary Cahill’s foul gave him a free-kick slightly to the right. Hart seemed to leave too much space to his own left and the Celtic man put the ball on that side, with Hampden erupting. Three minutes later, came the second when Livermore was penalised. Hart made sure to be more central this time.

Griffiths beat him past his right hand.

It was a remarkable end, and amid the Scottish celebrations, Southgate called for Jermain Defoe. It was Raheem Sterling, another substitute, who crossed for the equaliser after Gordon had saved well from Dier’s free-kick. Kane, who had barely had a chance all game, appeared at the back post to get the draw which Southgate was clear was every bit as important to his side as that lost victory would have been to Scotland.

Appendix 27: Article Telegraph.co.uk: Malta – England

Malta 0 England 4: Harry Kane double puts gloss on a night of toil

Sam Wallace, Chief Football Writer, at Ta’ Qali Stadium

1 September 2017 • 11:13pm

These grinding one-way games that make up much of what is World Cup qualification in the modern era are nothing like entertainment, and for the most part they barely constitute a contest, but just when it looked like another underwhelming night for England, the goals finally came.

Harry Kane’s first goal of the season had been all that separated England from Malta, the team rated 190th in the world by Fifa, as the game went into its final five regulation minutes, and even the players seemed to sense that one would not be enough. They had already heard the travelling England fans singing in unflattering terms about their own team’s

170 performance and they only needed to guess at the similar verdicts in millions of English front rooms.

Yes, they were ponderous, but also persistent, and when you take international teams of lower league footballers like Malta right to the edge of their physical capabilities then there is a chance that the rewards will come eventually. By the time they did for England many of their own supporters had already left, missing three goals in the final eight minutes of the match, two of them in injury-time, which made the scoreline looked a lot more appropriate to the occasion.

It will not appease many at home who switched over long before then, but it will have been a lesson learned for Gareth Southgate’s players. Pressure comes in different forms, and in the post-Iceland landscape that the England team now find themselves in, they know that humiliation is only one bad performance away. No, it was the finest Friday night’s football, but at least – unlike in that Euro 2016 debacle – the concentration never wavered and the opponent was finally disposed of properly.

They were booed off at half-time and then, after the break, a team that switched to 4-4-2 finally scored three in the space of six minutes through Ryan Bertrand, substitute Danny Welbeck and then Kane again. Kane was the game’s stand-out player, a brilliant predator who now has five goals in his last three England caps and has come out of his dry August with two on the first day of September.

Southgate’s players worked themselves into the ground against a team that wished only to defend and in doing so inadvertently exposed so many of the shortcomings of this England side which have been there for years, the key one being the absence of a passing midfielder.

It has been a long time since England have had at their disposal a central player with the passing range capable of piercing even a slow-moving battalion of lower-league footballers such as those who play for Malta. England have pace on the flanks and endless supplies of energy but it is the craft that spots the fleeting corridors of space in a team like Malta that produces goals in these games of attack against defence.

England do have individuals whose confidence goes through the floor when things go badly, as it did for Raheem Sterling, substituted at half-time and replaced by Marcus Rashford who looked much more of a threat in a 4-4-2 formation. Sterling missed an early chance and it seemed that his confidence never quite recovered, his touch letting him down and his final ball often simply in the wrong place.

In the second half, for all the lack of guile in some of England’s build-up play, they did keep passing the ball as best they could, and they did keep working the Malta team until they could no longer chase and block the famous names in the visiting team.

England remain two points clear at the top of Group F which means that even a win at Wembley on Monday over Slovakia, who beat Slovenia, will not quite secure qualification for Russia 2018. This was Southgate’s ninth game in charge and his first win away from home, and he has seen enough of the vicissitudes of life as an England footballer to take comfort in his team having worked methodically towards winning the game.

He reminded everyone that Italy had recently won just 1-0 here with a goal in the 70th minute. He also, as befits the modern England manager, imagined, with a smile on his face, how it had most likely played out on social media. “I have seen many qualifiers and played in many myself,” he said, “and I don’t remember many of them being free-flowing champagne football.” That was something we could all agree on.

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The booing at half-time was a reminder of those occasions when the national side failed to break through early on against Andorra in Barcelona in 2007 and then again the following year under Fabio Capello, and all the loathing and frustration that followed.

England have always found it hard to break down a team, however limited, that crowds its own box and is competent defending the ball in the air. The captain for the night, Jordan Henderson, accepted responsibility on the ball every time he was given it, which was a hell of a lot. Alongside him as another screening midfielder, Jake Livermore had possession less often. Neither of them can count among their strengths the passing range to break down awkward teams

In the No 10 position was Dele Alli who found himself so often static and with his back to goal that it was hard for him to make things happen. Alli is best on the move, running onto passes and through a defence, and his moment came when he created Kane’s first goal. Then the Malta defence was finally scattered, and Alli’s fast feet did the rest.

It would have been a different kind of first half if England had scored from two chances which arrived in the first four minutes. From Kane’s ball into the left channel Sterling should have struck first time but took too long with the Malta goalkeeper Andrew Hogg, born in Kingston- upon-Thames, down quickly. He did even better when Alli’s cross from the right took a deflection that sent it into a steeper trajectory and was met fiercely by the head of Kane.

Alli was later substituted but before that he showed good composure in the box to create Kane’s goal, taking down a bad clearance and twisting right then left to at last set up his Spurs’ team-mate. Bertrand struck the second with a speculative shot. Welbeck beat goalkeeper Hogg to get to Kane’s ball first and finish brilliantly. Marcus Rashford had replaced Sterling at half-time and his long ball picked out Kane for the fourth goal with Malta exhausted, and England finally able to cut free.

Appendix 28: Article Telegraph.co.uk: England - Slovakia

England 2 Slovakia 1: Marcus Rashford goes from villain to hero as hosts edge closer to World Cup

Jason Burt, Chief Football Correspondent, at Wembley (match report)

4 September 2017 • 9:39pm

Gareth Southgate had called for a team of leaders but this was all about a boy, a teenager, a comeback kid showing great character as Marcus Rashford turned this World Cup qualifier around to leave England on the brink of reaching the finals in Russia next year.

An early goal down to Slovakia – through Rashford’s error – the 19-year-old forward then provided an assist and an accomplished winning strike to leave England five points clear in Group F with just two fixtures to go.

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For Rashford there was redemption; for the England manager there was relief while for Scotland there was a lifeline as they now have chance to finish runners-up in this group and hopefully qualify for the play-offs.

England were maybe heading that way themselves after Slovakia’s goal and were dire until Eric Dier, one of two changes along with Rashford from the team that had laboured to victory last Friday away to Malta, scored to draw them level.

Southgate punched the air and punched it again with Rashford’s goal. He had hoped for a defining performance but did not expect it to be, at one stage, about possibly defining how badly his team could play and how far England had fallen. But that was what it was like during much of a difficult first-half in which they appeared set up wrongly, in a 4-4-1-1 formation, and frankly unable to cope.

Even this result does not mask their on-going inadequacies although, at least, they showed courage. They should they could come from behind when there were fears of the re-run of their Euro 2016 exit to Iceland which still, patently haunts England.

They showed some character. And no-one more so than Rashford who was rightly named man-of-the-match with Dier tipping him to “shine” in Russia should England get there by collecting at least a point at home to Slovenia or away to Lithuania which, obviously, they will do.

But there are issues. Boy, there are issues. Where to start? Probably with maturity, or lack of it, from Dele Alli who was caught by the television cameras ‘giving the bird’. Was the raised finger aimed at French referee Clement Turpin? If so then Alli is a turnip. Not so, said Southgate, who claimed Alli had told him it was his “strange way of communicating” with team-mate Kyle Walker. Strange indeed. Fifa, though, may not buy that explanation although, either way, it is a foolish distraction for Alli to involve his manager in.

In terms of his actual play Alli was far less impressive than Southgate claimed as the ‘second striker’ tucked in by Harry Kane. Behind Alli, Rashford was played out on the right to begin with and did not appear comfortable there, despite his eventual contribution, while on the other flank Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was largely ineffective. Again. He ballooned one opportunity over the cross-bar, when England were three against two, and too often simply ran into trouble. When he was replaced by Raheem Sterling late on it appeared both players were booed by some supporters in a far from full Wembley Stadium.

Then, in central midfield, there was Dier and captain Jordan Henderson with Dier, despite his goal, appearing limited. For all of Henderson’s impressive drive and energy England lack a controlling midfielder who can pass the ball creatively and dictate the tempo for the team. Dier’s place has to be under scrutiny.

In defence Walker could quite possibly have been sent off as he took Vladimir Weiss’s legs away just before half-time when the Slovakian winger was running clear on goal. Not even a free-kick was given. Alongside Walker there was Gary Cahill and Phil Jones, good defenders, but neither, again, with the ability to bring the ball out of defence.

In goal? Joe Hart was probably at fault for Slovakia’s goal and although he made a smart save in the second-half, parrying a fulminating volley from Adam Nemec, his position as England’s number one, despite Southgate’s faith, looks iffy. England also profited from the fact that Slovakia’s best player, play-maker, Marek Hamsik was not fully fit and eventually had to go off.

There are disconnects, as Southgate conceded.

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But let us not be too negative. England won. They got the job done. Coming from behind in international football is not easy but they did eventually recover from the early trauma of conceding after just two minutes and 35 seconds to the second-placed team in the group, ranked 22nd in the world, just nine places below England.

The goal came as Rashford unwisely tried to run the ball from close to his own penalty area only to be quickly closed down with the impressive Stanislav Lobotka bundling possession away from him and flicking it to Nemec. The striker played a lovely wedged pass over the England defence to pick out Lobotka’s run and the midfielder, who plays in Spain for Celta Vigo, brought it down deftly before nudging his shot between Hart’s body and his outstretched left arm and into the net. Rashford compounded his error by not tracking Lobotka.

An early air of panic endured until Kane won a corner, Rashford took it and Dier made a clever run to the near post to superbly sweep the ball just inside the goal-frame and above Lobotka on the line.

There were half-chances and snatched opportunities until Henderson provided a short pass to Rashford who weighed up the space ahead of him and sent an arrowing, angled shot from 25 yards, that bounced and flew beyond goalkeeper Martin Dubravka who had scrambled to deny the striker with a similar effort in the first-half. This time, though, he was beaten.

Would England see it out? They did. Just about. For while they had a few openings the best chance fell to Slovakia’s Tomas Hubocan, from a half-cleared free-kick, but he miscued and the ball slammed into the turf and over.

So England had the win. They will accentuate the positives, taking the points, the comeback, the character shown. But they will have to play better than this. Much better.

Appendix 29: Article Telegraph.co.uk: England – Slovenia

England 1 Slovenia 0: Harry Kane confirms World Cup qualification with late goal to rescue dismal performance

Sam Wallace, Chief Football Writer, at Wembley

5 October 2017 • 10:18pm

The most lethal goalscorer in English footballer struck with 93 minutes and eight seconds on the clock, and this being his 14th goal in nine games he at least can be forgiven for thinking that the World Cup finals next summer might be an occasion that he will remember for the rest of his life. As for the team itself, there were times when it seemed like they might be crushed by the sheer weight of indifference that pressed down on a Wembley Stadium where you counted the empty seats in blocks rather than rows.

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There have been some bad times in the stadium’s modern history, not least the occasion ten years ago when they missed out on Euro 2008, but this was something different. A mood of “So what?” around the 61,598 fans who amused themselves throwing paper planes towards the pitch where Gareth Southgate often stood alone on the touchline looking very much like the late convert to teaching in a smart suit, powerless to control an unruly class.

Southgate knows England’s tournament history as well as any Englishman in the red seats of Wembley having lived it and, for some time, it defined his life too. He did not try to pretend that he had not picked up on the mood at Wembley. His predecessors have variously declared themselves impervious to the dread that can surround the team on a bad night, while others have simply professed ignorance of it but Southgate knows it cannot be ignored.

Afterwards he listed the things that England have been good at during his 11 games in charge – such as boasting one of the best defences in Europe; a new theme of late goals and the kind of goalscorers like Kane who can score them. He pointed out that Slovenia, who play Scotland in their last game, had only conceded four in eight previous games. He conjured the memory of Bobby Robson, written off until the quarter-finals of the 1990 World Cup and then part of one of the greatest England near-misses since 1966.

But next month Southgate’s young team will face Germany and then Brazil at Wembley, ranked one and two in the world respectively - all part of the FA’s remorseless pursuit of the toughest possible friendly opposition. Under Southgate, England have already lost to Germany and France and what next month’s games tell us might be what many already feared anyway.

The Football Association will hope that next month’s illustrious visitors will draw a bigger gate than this one which saw the whole upper tier of the south side of the stadium left empty. There is no shame in a 61,598 crowd relative to many across Europe in international week but Southgate’s first game one year ago against Malta attracted 81,781 and the decline seems to have been steady since then.

Southgate’s squad will embark for Lithuania on Saturday for the last match in qualification with so much still to be decided. “Are we going to become Spain in the next eight months?” pondered Southgate, before answering his own question. “No we're not.” The brighter lights were Marcus Rashford whose pace and running on the left side was the best thing about the first half, when the Slovenia right-back Aljaz Struna looked like a man who had been sent out on the wrong setting.

There was also a very good save in the second half from Joe Hart with the score at 0-0, the West Ham goalkeeper coming out to meet substitute Tim Matavz and save bravely, picking himself up for the rebound. That said, Hart might have been lucky to get away with what looked like contact on the leg of Josip Ilicic in the early stages of the game, and what could have been a penalty for Slovenia.

And then there were the mistakes, so many of them against an aggressive Slovenia side short on real quality. Kyle Walker, who eventually crossed for the Kane goal, twice headed to an opponent in dangerous areas of the pitch. Even against this standard of opposition, England never looked like they could play out from the back with the kind of passing that would enable them to move the ball imaginatively and at speed from one end of the pitch to the other.

Kane was left to pick up what he could with his back to goal and there were only a few chances for him to work the ball onto that right foot and shoot. Raheem Sterling was another who, like Rashford, was regularly kicked by the Slovenians and he looked better when he

175 could run at the opposition defence rather than when fulfilling the requirements of his No 10 position in the absence of Dele Alli.

After a worrying first half, Slovenia started the better after the break. There was that second mistake from Walker. Ryan Bertrand passed the ball out of play under no pressure. England’s corners were dreadful, including one where they seemed to be caught offside playing it short.

The confidence was draining out of the home team in much the same way as it had done against the Icelanders in Nice two summers ago. They moved it pitifully slowly at times and even when Sterling escaped on the breakaway on 63 minutes and kept his head to cut it left to Rashford, a weak chip over goalkeeper Jan Oblak was always going to be retrievable for the Slovenia defence.

The pace and turning speed of Sterling and Rashford meant that England had by far the game’s most potent attacking threat but they chased up the same blind alleys as ever, and the two Slovenia centre-backs Miha Mevlja and Bostjan Cesar did rise to the occasion many times.

For the goal, Walker seized on a bad Slovenia pass and crossed a ball from the right that Kane anticipated brilliantly. His touch was slight but accurate enough that Oblak could not get a strong enough hand to save it. On the bench Southgate’s celebration showed how grateful he must have been to his captain and at times it seems like the Tottenham Hotspur striker can do anything. The problem for England is that presently they only have one like that.

Appendix 30: Article Telegraph.co.uk: Lithuania – England

Lithuania 0 England 1: Harry Kane delivers again in yet another dreary display for Gareth Southgate's strugglers

Jason Burt, Chief Football Correspondent, at the LFF Stadium, Vilnius

8 October 2017 • 6:50pm

Pep Guardiola referred to Tottenham Hotspur as “the Harry Kane team” but his phrase is far more applicable to another side who play in white.

Where would England be without Kane? It is no stretch to say that if he had been born in Lithuania and not London then they might well not have won their final World Cup qualifier. It was that damning. The hosts had enough chances and the striker would have taken at least one of them.

One thing is for certain, though, and that is that Kane is not weighed down by the captaincy. Four times he has led his country, each time Kane has scored, becoming the first player ever to do so, with his first-half penalty proving decisive.

But then we always knew that Kane was not the problem. The heaviness of the England shirt, the fear of playing for the Three Lions, the lack of big players – as manager Gareth Southgate said – and the dearth of talent available, especially in midfield. There are the issues.

This was as lacklustre as last Thursday, given the modesty of the opposition, when England stumbled to victory over Slovenia to seal their qualification for next summer’s World Cup at the head of Group F – with another Kane goal, of course, that night.

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Here the result really did not matter. This was about that performance not points. This was about players showing they deserve to go to Russia and about Southgate showing that there are signs for encouragement and, frankly, it was a loss in that regard.

Those signs were not there. There are issues for the manager, also. It cries out louder and louder: what is his plan? What does he want from his England team? They are slow, painfully so, and lacking in courage on the ball. Southgate spoke about being “a fraction off” but it was a gulf. The plastic pitch did not help but that excuse only goes so far.

Supporters walking out in Malta, paper aeroplanes at Wembley and, against Lithuania, an ironic chant of “It’s just like watching Brazil”. It really was not. But this is England 2017. They have to play better than this. It is, quite frankly, boring, although the travelling fans, despite the football, despite being exposed to the cold and pouring rain, wrapping themselves in ponchos, stayed behind their even soggier team.

This was the youngest England line-up for 15 years – average age 23.7 – and there is a sliver of mitigation in that, plus the fact Southgate made seven changes. Young and, also, relatively inexperienced with 120 caps between them before kick-off – only one more than Wayne Rooney, alone, amassed during his international career.

It was also the first time in over a decade, since the Steve McClaren debacle away to Croatia, that England had started a competitive fixture with “three at the back”, and while that is definitely worth persevering with, it has to be with full-backs who want to be wing-backs against opposition such as this. It has to be far braver and much more aggressive. At times, England played a back five – and still conceded good chances.

There were three full debuts – Aaron Cresswell, Harry Maguire and Harry Winks and it was Winks, another Spurs player, who was the pick, and maybe England’s best player. At least the 21-year-old tried to fill the creative void and attempted to pass the ball forward and he almost scored in the second-half when his quick feet created space only for goalkeeper Ernestas Setkus to push his shot over.

There has to be hope, also, in a front three of Kane, Dele Alli and Marcus Rashford, but it was so disappointing that they started well and then faded. Rashford showed flashes, Alli won the penalty but was poor, which is a growing worry now, and Kane persevered but had so little service.

Alongside Winks, this was another concerning performance from Jordan Henderson, whose passing was simply not good enough. Yet Henderson, also, was involved in the penalty award as he headed the ball into the area for Alli to collect before he was challenged by Linas Klimavicius and tumbled over.

The spot-kick was given when it probably should not and Kane steered a low right-foot penalty that struck the post and rebounded into the net. It was his 12th goal for England in 23 appearances – his seventh in his past six games, his 15th in his past 10 matches for club and country and his 43rd in 37 appearances in 2017. Only four of those have been penalties.

Southgate had spoken about England not having “big players”, meaning players who had won things, but Kane deserves to be categorised as one for those phenomenal numbers alone.

There were some chances. Maguire missed the ball with an attempted close-range header, Michael Keane shot wide, Rashford cut back and forced a fine save from Setkus who also did well to divert a Cresswell header over the cross-bar. Late on, there was a flurry of opportunities for substitute Daniel Sturridge which he wasted or had blocked. But that was it.

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Against that, Lithuania, whose only win in their qualification campaign, from 10 matches, was against Malta, went close, with striker Darvydas Sernas unfortunate when his clever, improvised back-heeled volley flew just past the post and into the side-netting as he stole in front of a dozing John Stones.

But, after that, Sernas snatched at openings, blazing over on a couple of occasions before, after he was replaced, substitute Deivydas Matulevicius, the Hibernian striker, was put clear but shot early and straight at goalkeeper Jack Butland. Lithuania, though, went closest when they broke down their right through Fiodor Cernych who whipped in a cross that Keane cut out before it reached Sernas only to fire in an inadvertent shot with Butland reacting to turn it away.

So, England won. This was their last competitive game before the World Cup. They have a lot of work to do. They cannot be the Harry Kane team, no matter how good he is.

Appendix 31: Article thesun.co.uk: Slovakia – England

ADAM AND EVE IT: Slovakia 0 England 1: Adam Lallana snatches last minute winner as Sam Allardyce starts England reign with a win

Liverpool star drills home his first goal for Three Lions in stoppage time against ten-man Slovaks

By DUNCAN WRIGHT

4th September 2016, 6:58 pm

ADAM LALLANA struck a stoppage time winner to earn England victory in Sam Allardyce’s first game in charge of his country.

Lallana fired home his first international goal in the dying moments to snatch the three points after a night of frustration against the ten-man Slovaks.

Former Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel saw red for a stamp on Harry Kane but England looked to be heading for a goalless draw until Lallana stole the show in the fifth minute of time added on.

Wayne Rooney became England’s record appearance holder for an outfield player when he led the team out for kick-off – his 116th cap moving him clear of David Beckham

It took just two minutes to see the first major change from Roy Hodgson’s hapless tactics as Rooney took the first corner allowing Harry Kane to adopt a threatening attacking position.

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The England 1,800 supporters were in full voice in support of new manager Sam Allardyce as cries of ‘Big Sam’s Barmy Army’ rand around the compact stadium right from kick-off.

Joe Hart was dumped by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola for his poor footballing skills – and his sliced kick with his first attempted clearance drew gasps then nervous laughter from the fans.

Harry Kane’s place has been questioned since Euro 2016 and kicking fresh air with a 22nd minute chance won’t have helped the Tottenham man’s confidence.

Martin Skrtel’s physical reputation is well known, and he received the game’s first yellow card for leaving a firm elbow on the jaw of Kane which laid out the Spurs man.

Allardyce had promised Rooney would be playing more advanced than in the Euros but he only had four touches in the attacking third in the first half – three of those were taking corners.

Skrtel was lucky not to have been sent off after his rash challenge on Kane out on the touchline – but a stamp on the England striker finally saw him shown the red card just before the hour.

One game in and Rooney already looks untouchable under his new manager, as Allardyce brought on Dele Alli in his captain’s position and switched the Manchester United man into a holding role with Jordan Henderson making way.

Adam Lallana must have wondered what he had to do to score for England, after watching his 75th minute shot curl cannon back off the post.

Kane looked short of confidence at key moments and it was no surprise to see him hauled off by Allardyce to be replaced by Daniel Sturridge for the final ten minutes.

England found it hard to break down opponents who sat deep at the Euros, and they endured the same frustrations with Slovakia packing men in behind the ball.

Theo Walcott thought he had scored a late winner, only for the offside flag to deny him when the ball looked to have reached him off a Slovakia boot.

The game was coming to the end of the fifth minute of the five added on for stoppages when Lallana drilled his low shot home to win the game.

Appendix 32: Article thesun.co.uk: England – Malta

England 2 Malta 0

BY WARREN HAUGHTON & JIM SHERIDAN

8th October 2016, 7:08 pm

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GARETH SOUTHGATE’s first game as England boss passed with a hitch as the Three Lions easily brushed aside Malta at Wembley.

Southgate stuck with Wayne Rooney in midfield, playing Daniel Sturridge up top rather than Marcus Rashford with Theo Walcott and Jesse Lingard on the wings.

The visitors stuck plenty of men behind the ball in the early stages and Sturridge was guilty of missing an absolute sitter just quarter of an hour in, as he thundered a half volley high and wide from two yards.

But the Liverpool man made up for his error with a cushioned header shortly afterwards, before Dele Alli doubled the lead on the rebound following his own snap-shot.

Despite Malta barely getting out of their own half, they were kept in it thanks to some wonderful saves from stoppper Andrew Hogg.

After the break, it as much the same as Southgate’s team constantly looked to get on the front foot but were often denied by Hogg or a resolute back four.

Hogg made NINE saves as he single-handedly kept out England in a fantastic performance from the Hull-born stopper.

But overall Southgate will be pleased with the three points and can set his sights on the slightly tougher test in Slovenia.

Facts, stats, goals & lols

-Daniel Sturridge will hope his performance will have impressed his Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp ahead of Monday’s big game at home to Man United.

-Deli Alli enhanced his reputation at international level scoring his 3rd goal for England. Good work between Stones and Sturridge on 37 mins and the Spurs man reacted quickest to his own shot saved by the keeper Andrew Hogg.

-England have won all 4 encounters with Malta who did their best to make it difficult for England by packing the defence, but Southgate will expect a better performance and test in Slovenia on Tuesday.

England are unbeaten in 31 tournament qualify games and have won 14 qualifiers in a row after today’s win.

-There were some boos from the England crowd when Rooney’s name was announced before the game. Despite a good effort in the first half the England skipper again fails to impose himself on a game this season.

-Jordan Henderson showed Rooney how to play in midfield – his energy and quick passing set the tone for England as the game went on.

-After some excellent recent form for Arsenal Theo Walcott again flattered to deceive. He didn’t move around the pitch enough to release himself and contribute to the game. The one time he went through on goal his shot was easily saved.

-Marcus Rashford was introduced on 67 mins to replace Walcott to huge applause from the England fans.

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-With Raheem Sterling injured, Jesse Lingard missed the chance to give Southgate a selection headache on Sterling’s return to the squad. The United winger had a quiet game and missed a simple close range header.

-The one negative from a fitness point of view was Ryan Bertrand who hobbled off with a hamstring injury and will be a big doubt for Southampton’s home game against Burnley next weekend.

Appendix 33: Article thesun.co.uk: Slovenia – England

HART STOPPER: Joe Hart: England keeper lauded as world class save sees him compared to Three Lions legend Gordon Banks

Manchester City keeper, on loan at Torino, makes a string of stunning saves as Gareth Southgate's men struggled in Ljubljana

By CHARLIE WYETT AND TOM SHEEN

11th October 2016, 9:32 pm

JOE HART saved England from more humiliation with a world-class display.

The keeper — axed by Manchester City — produced a string of stops that brought back memories of Gordon Banks’ show against Brazil at the 1970 World Cup.

Hart admitted after his heroics: “My body is in pieces. I will struggle to get up in the morning.”

While Banks denied Pele, Hart thwarted Jasmin Kurtic — blocking the Slovenian midfielder’s close-range header with his left hand, then clawing the ball away with his right after 47 minutes.

The keeper, on loan at Torino, needed lengthy treatment after smashing into the frame of the goal.

Legendary commentator John Motson said: “Had it not been for Hart, England would have lost.

“His stop off Jasmin Kurtic was like Gordon Banks from Pele, one of the great saves by an England goalkeeper.”

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Appendix 34: Article thesun.co.uk: England – Scotland

Heading to Russia: England 3 Scotland 0: Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill use their heads to slay the Auld Enemy on home soil

Gareth Southgate's Three Lions romped to a stunning home victory to edge them closer to World Cup qualification

By DUNCAN WRIGHT and TOBY GANNON

11th November 2016, 9:35 pm

GARETH SOUTHGATE had his England stars use their heads to slay the Auld Enemy at Wembley.

Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill scored a header apiece in Friday's World Cup qualifier showdown.

It took Anfield's out-of-favour striker Sturridge 23 minutes to open the scoring when he connected with Kyle Walker's fizzed cross and nodded into the top corner.

Danny Rose then whipped a brilliant ball in from the left for Adam Lallana to direct well past Craig Gordon.

Cahill buried the game in the 61st minute when he ran through Scotland's defence to crash in Wayne Rooney's routine corner.

GOALS, STATS, FACTS & LOLS

John Stones loves to play out from the back, but he was robbed by Leigh Griffiths in the third minute, allowing Scotland to launch the first serious attack.

Scott Brown was eager to put himself about on his comeback from retirement, but he came off worse when Wayne Rooney sent him flying to the ground with a strong shoulder barge.

Daniel Sturridge may not have a Premier League goal to his name this season, but he stooped low to head England into the lead – his second World Cup goal of the campaign.

Cold November nights are not the ideal evenings to catch one in your privates – and poor John Stones copped a nasty one from Lee Griffiths’ fierce drive.

Free headers eight yards out are usually meat and drink for top players – not Grant Hanley though, the Scot was left holding his head in dismay after nodding over.

Spare a thought for Ikechi Anya. Wembley, against the Auld Enemy, you’re dashing down the right, players waiting in the middle – and you kick the ball with the wrong foot trying to cross and become a public laughing stock.

Scotland wasted two golden chances in two minutes to level, James Forrest dragging wide when well placed and Robert Snodgrass shooting straight at Stones.

How England made them pay, as they went straight up the other end to double their lead, and this time Adam Lallana was the head boy nodding home Danny Rose’s cross.

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Joe Hart suddenly gained employment as a rubbish collector, picking up the cups and objects Scotland fans had thrown onto the pitch before turning peacemaker to dampen down a row between Kyle Walker and Leigh Griffiths.

Raheem Sterling is no fox in the box, blazing over the bar off his shin from just two yards out with the goal at his mercy.

Appendix 35: Article thesun.co.uk: England – Lithuania

TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE:Gareth Southgate reveals returning England hero Jermain Defoe has fired his way into contention for 2018 World Cup after Lithuania goal

Three Lions boss said: "If he scores like he is in the Premier League there's no reason why he wouldn't be"

By Wally Downes Jr

26th March 2017, 10:42 pm

JERMAIN DEFOE has fired his way in to Gareth Southgate’s plan for the 2018 World Cup after his comeback goal against Lithuania.

Before his trademark strike at Wembley on Sunday it was four years since Defoe last bagged for the Three Lions.

And, despite the Sunderland star approaching 36 when the tournament starts in June 2018, he could get another chance on the biggest stage.

With Wayne Rooney axed – despite being younger than Defoe – there is room in the squad for an experienced forward to help the likes of Marcus Rashford and Harry Kane.

And Southgate has revealed the evergreen goal-machine could be the wildcard pick for squad.

He said: “I think we've got to look every time we get together as to who is in form.

“I don't know if we can have a distinct pecking order because players who are playing well deserve the opportunity.

“If we are going to be successful we have to have that competition for places.

“The reality is we will always lose players to injury.

“We're never able to pick a full cohort, so it's important we can call upon the likes of Jermain and he can have the impact he does like he did today.

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"If he scores like he is in the Premier League, there's no reason why he wouldn't be. I would have put my house on him scoring at some stage today.

“He's had a really positive impact on everybody.”

Jamie Vardy was a second-half sub and scored with his first touch of the game just six minutes after his introduction.

The Foxes striker has rediscovered his form since the Premier League champions changed their manager but Southgate wanted to keep the focus on golden oldie Defoe.

He said: "I'm pleased for the two lads who have got the goals, a great story for Jermain and I felt Jamie added something to us.

"I think the bigger picture for us is Defoe’s contribution throughout the camp, I thought he added to that and his experience around everyone is important."

Appendix 36: Article thesun.co.uk: Scotland – England

KANE IS ABLE: Scotland 2 England 2: Harry Kane’s stoppage time volley saves England from shock defeat to Scots

Kane fired home two minutes into injury time as Three Lions scramble a draw after Leigh Griffiths' stunning free-kick double put Scotland on the verge of victory

By Charlie Wyett and Duncan Wright

10th June 2017, 7:01 pm

HARRY KANE struck a stoppage time equaliser as England saved themselves from an embarrassing World Cup upset at the hands of Scotland.

Gordon Strachan's side were on course for a famous win after Leigh Griffiths struck two stunning late free-kicks to shock the Three Lions.

Celtic ace Griffiths looked to have earned his side the win as Scotland came from behind following Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's opener four minutes after coming on a sub.

But Kane saved England and broke Scotland hearts as he volleyed home two-minutes into injury time to earn the point in his first game as England captain.

FACTS, STATS, GOALS AND LOLS

We’ve seen Liverpool-Manchester United half-and-half scarves and also Spurs-Arsenal ones. But yesterday was the ultimate for those who love a so-called friendship scarf. Scotland-England ones.

Matchday programmes are becoming a major rip-off. Particularly at Wembley where some programmes cost £10. The Scottish FA remain sensible, though, charging just £3.

The inclusion of Jake Livermore was a surprise – particularly as he had struggled in training at the start of the week. Unusually, England had THREE keepers on the bench, namely Fraser Forster, Jack Butland and Tom Heaton.

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The atmosphere inside Hampden Park was brilliant. There were 4,500 England fans although it was a struggle to hear them.

Both national anthems were booed by the opposing fans but the minute’s silence was served impeccably.

Scott Brown was first in the book after little more than two minutes. It was for a nasty challenge on Dele Alli although the locals felt Italian referee Paolo Tagliavento was a bit too keen with the yellow card.

It was Scotland who had the first shot on target through Stuart Armstrong but it was straight at Joe Hart, who was wearing a baseball cap.

It took 17 minutes for England to create a chance but Harry Kane sent the ball high and wide towards the Three Lions supporters .Generally, you would have expected England to have created a lot more.

Scotland’s Kieran Tierney was playing with a gum shield but his foot came to the rescue when he cleared an effort from Harry Kane. The Spurs striker spotted keeper Craig Gordon off his line and delivered the lob but Tierney cleared off the line.

At times, the match resembled a Championship game as the quality was not great. Andy Robertson wasted a good chance just before the hour.

Rashford did not have the effect he would have hoped and could not have too many complaints when he was replaced by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 65th minute.

And what an impact Oxlade-Chamberlain made, scoring past Gordon five minutes later after initially taking a poor touch. Weirdly, the Arsenal star ran over to a section of the home supporters to celebrate. It didn’t go down very well.

England fans taunted Scottish fans by saying: "you're just a sh*t San Marino'. A couple of minutes later, Leigh Griffiths hammered his free-kick past Joe Hart.

Hampden Park was shaking to the core three minutes later when Griffiths curled another free-kick into the opposite corner to fire Scotland ahead

Just as Scotland were celebrating a famous win their hearts were broken as captain Kane volleyed home the equaliser two minutes into stoppage time.

WHAT THEY SAID

England manager Gareth Southgate: "We controlled most of the game, we should have seen the game through at 1-0 but it was two moments of brilliance from Griffiths.

"The most important moment for me, 2-1 behind in injury time we stick with it and come back as a team.

"I was pleased I didn’t see people lying on the floor, they were back at it. You must never turn it in."

Scotland boss Gordon Strachan said: "No matter what anybody thinks, nobody can question personality, character and drive. It’s a bit like a heavyweight fighting against a middleweight.

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"We scored two wonderful goals. I am nearly 60,that would probably have been the best result in my career. But we didn’t get it."

Appendix 37: Article thesun.co.uk: Malta – England

MALTA 0 ENGLAND 4: Harry Kane’s double, Ryan Bertrand and Danny Welbeck fire Three Lions to victory in Malta

Tottenham striker bags twice as Southampton defender and Arsenal ace net in second half to move Gareth Southgate's Three Lions closer to World Cup qualification

By Gary Stonehouse

1st September 2017, 10:20 pm

ENGLAND remain on course for the 2018 World Cup despite a largely frustrating victory in Malta.

Gareth Southgate's men took the points thanks to a second half brace from Harry Kane and strikes from Ryan Bertrand and Danny Welbeck.

But it was far from a vintage performance as the visitors found it tough to break down a stubborn home defence.

And the visiting supporters let Southgate know exactly what they thought at the end of a goalless and forgettable first half which produced just two efforts on goal.

That led to Marcus Rashford's introduction at the break, and the Manchester United star provided the spark that England needed to secure the points as his pace tormented the Malta backline throughout the second period.

Kane broke the deadlock eight minutes after the restart, finishing coolly after being fed by Dele Alli.

Bertrand then doubled the advantage with a long-ranger late on.

And Danny Welbeck added the gloss in the final seconds as he toe-poked home over the keeper for the third.

Appendix 38: Article thesun.co.uk: England – Slovakia

England 2 Slovakia 1: Goals from Marcus Rashford and Eric Dier gift Gareth Southgate vital three points in Group F

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The Three Lions fell behind to an early goal from Stanislav Lobotka, but England rallied back at Wembley in the World Cup qualifier

By Neil Ashton and Jake Lambourne

4th September 2017, 9:35 pm

BEFORE anybody goes OTT, it is too soon to compare him with Michael Owen or Wayne Rooney. For now.

Still, in an important World Cup qualifier against Slovakia, Wembley Stadium was Marcus Rashford’s playground.

The teenage Manchester United forward deserves top billing for his powers of recovery more than anything.

It was Rashford’s mistake that led to Slovakia scoring after just three minutes when he ran into trouble in a congested midfield.

The 19-year-old shrugged it off, as all young players seem to do, and went on to hit a fabulous winner after 59 minutes.

Good on him, good on England.

They are off the hook, still leading Group F after a shaky opening half-hour that left them wondering if they would need a play-off to reach the World Cup.

They have nothing to worry about now.

Rashford has seen to that, having also sent in the corner that led to Eric Dier’s improvised equaliser after 37 minutes.

This was a better, much improved England from the side who plodded to victory in Malta last Friday.

To come from behind on home soil, when the pressure is starting to ramp up on the national side, deserves credit.

They were even stringing passes together in the build-up to Rashford’s winner. Only three, but it is a start.

Dele Alli made the interception, Dier moved the ball on to Jordan Henderson, Henderson set Rashford free. It all looked very easy.

Rashford finished it, putting some dip on his effort to make sure it beat Slovakia keeper Martin Dubravka.

He was entitled to his extravagant, knee-sliding celebrations in front of England’s supporters.

Rashford atoned for his error, the mistake that led to Slovakia’s early opener.

Three minutes in and the nightmare scenario was unfolding as the visitors silenced Wembley Stadium with Stanislav Lobotka’s strike.

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Rashford must take responsibility after running into trouble when he tried to dribble his way out of danger. Inexperience cost him.

Lobotka played a razor-sharp one-two, with Adam Nemec flicking the sweetest of assists over the top of England’s defence.

That set Celta Vigo midfielder Lobotka free and he drew Joe Hart off his line before finding the corner of the net with a lovely side-foot finish.

This had shades of Croatia 2007 about it, when the Wally with a Brolly blew our chances of qualifying for the Euros the following year.

Gareth Southgate’s players were stodgy, second to everything as Slovakia settled into this qualifier at break-neck speed.

England have to be ready. They were nowhere near. They can be so sloppy in possession, the one skill they are obsessed with mastering under the FA’s ludicrous DNA programme.

Until Rashford got going they were careless and cautious.

Old Trafford hero Rash, shoved out on the right at the start, had an eventful half. He carved open a couple of chances - both saved by Dubravka - before his corner led to Dier’s equaliser.

The Spurs midfielder showed ingenuity, making his run to the near post and meeting Rashford’s corner with a clever flick to leave Dubravka stranded as the ball sailed into the net.

It will be especially satisfying for Harry Kane because he could well have gone down in the area when tackled in the build-up to the corner kick.

Honest guy that he is, Kane stayed on his feet. By then England were dominating, with Rashford always threatening to do something when on the ball.

His clever flick at the start of the second half to tee-up Dele on the edge of the area was another classy touch. By then England had been fortunate to escape when Gary Cahill’s clumsy touch allowed former Manchester City winger Vladimir Weiss to wriggle clear.

Cahill owes Kyle Walker a pint for getting him off the hook with a challenge on the edge of the box - even if replays showed that interception to be a clumsy foul which went unpunished.

Lobotov had another chance, forcing a save out of Hart when Marek Hamsik set him up with a delicious chip ten minutes into the second half.

Beyond that, this was England’s for the taking. Kane carved a chance for Dele on 56 minutes, working his way through the Slovakia defence. But in the end it came down to Rashford. He went to Euro 2016 as a wildcard, picked by Roy Hodgson after scoring just minutes into his debut against Australia.

When he switched wings with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to play on the left, he was electrifying.

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That was the catalyst for this exhilarating display, beating Dubravka from range with an impressive finish.

Southgate took him off five minutes from time, giving the 67,000 inside the stadium the chance to salute this new star. Unquestionably, he deserved it.

STATS, FACTS, GOALS & LOLS

Before Stanislav Lobotka's early goal, Slovakia's last goal against England was back in June 2003 in a Euro 2004 qualifier.

England are on their best run at Wembley - they have now won their last 13 competitive matches, a run that streteches back to October 2012.

The Three Lions carried on their excellent home record in World Cup qualifiers - their last defeat was against Germany in a 1-0 loss in October 2000 - Dietmar Hamann with the only goal.

Slovakia's last away victory against a home nation was in 2009 when they beat Northern Ireland 2-0 at Windsor Park.

Jordan Henderson has recorded more assists under Gareth Southgate than any other player - four - and three in his last three games.

Appendix 39: Article thesun.co.uk: England – Slovenia

SLO BURNER: England 1 Slovenia 0: Harry Kane grabs late winner as Three Lions book World Cup spot at Russia 2018

Kane stabs in superb Kyle Walker cross in injury time to put gloss on drab display from Gareth Southgate's men at Wembley

By Charlie Wyett

5th October 2017, 10:19 pm

THE fans at Wembley were so bored they tried to amuse themselves by making paper aeroplanes land on the pitch.

It was that type of night.

England are certain to be on a plane to Russia next summer, but this was a tedious clashed glossed by Harry Kane's close-range winner four minutes into injury time.

Kane has been outstanding for Spurs but, despite now employing a chef at home, was left to feed off scraps.

Marcus Rashford looked sharp in the first half and Raheem Sterling improved in the second period, but it was not exciting.

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With 18 minutes left, the game’s first flashpoint saw John Stones raise his hands on Slovenian captain Bostjan Cesar who tumbled to the floor.

There were angry exchanges but Stones avoided a second yellow.

England’s first chance of the match came midway inside the first half and it was Jan Oblak who proved why he is one of the world’s top keepers.

Match Stats

The Atletico Madrid number one, who has twice earned the accolade as the best keeper in La Liga, got down low to his left to keep out a decent strike from Jordan Henderson.

Despite enjoying 71 per cent possession in the first half, England were ponderous going forward.

And bizarrely when they were awarded a free-kick in a good position – and with Kane and Rashford on the pitch – Kyle Walker was allowed to boot an effort wide of the post.

Just a few minutes before half-time, Kane got the ball into the net but Sterling had already been penalised of fouling a defender.

Rashford was one of the few England players showing any sort of spark and a quickly-taken free-kick forced Oblak to push the ball around the post but it was not going into the net.

We had to wait 17 minutes into what was a dull second half for another decent England attack.

Appendix 40: Article thesun.co.uk: Lithuania - England

Snoozefest: Lithuania 0 England 1: Harry Kane scores from the penalty spot but Gareth Southgate’s young Three Lions side fail to impress in rain-soaked Vilnius

It was another dross showing by England who ended their World Cup qualification campaign unbeaten. Gareth Southgate opted to pick one of the youngest teams ever with the average age of just over 24.

By Neil Ashton 8th October 2017, 6:48 pm

THEY are the Harry Kane team.

Pep was the first to call it, christening Tottenham with the unflattering title after Kane scored 13 times for club and country in September.

England are utterly, totally, worryingly dependant on him as well.

The country’s captain scored the 94th minute winner against Slovenia last Friday to book England’s place at the World Cup.

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Kane scored again here, his seventh in his last six internationals, as England finished off their qualifying campaign.

They are pinning their hopes on one man. There is no alternative.

The goal came from the spot, despatched with class and composure after Dele Alli had been tripped by Lithuania full back Linas Klimavicius.

Kane made no mistake from the spot in the 27th minute.

He is the only hope England have.

All those changes, with head coach Gareth Southgate giving caps to Harry Maguire and little Harry Winks, was a bold move.

This latest formation, with England playing 3-4-3, gives the impression it is all down tactics.

The reality is that is about the personnel.

Lithuania rarely threatened, but Jack Butland did make a decent save when England defender Michael Keane nearly put through his own net in the 54th minute.

England were ordinary again here, with Marcus Rashford and Winks standing out on another mediocre England night.

Winks, wearing Mike Tyson-style mid-cut black ankle boots, forced a flying save from Lithuania keeper Ernestas Setkus at the start of the second half.

Setkus saved well again when Aaron Creswell’s header forced him across goal to prevent England scoring a second.

Beyond that, this was yet another bang average performance.

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